September 2026 Stock Portfolio Update: +2.24% Return and $16.52 Net Dividends

My September 2026 stock portfolio update ended with a +2.24% total return and $0.00 in realized P/L for the month. The account showed brokerage-reported total P/L of +₩393,844, which converts to approximately +$291.13 using a ₩1,352.80-per-dollar snapshot conversion basis derived from the visible KRW totals and USD position rows.

The headline return only tells part of the story. Seven of the nine positions were above their average cost at month-end, while Boeing (BA) and McDonald’s (MCD) were both down more than 11%. At the same time, Chevron (CVX), McDonald’s, and Broadcom (AVGO) generated $19.42 in gross dividends and $16.52 in net cash received.

This is a real brokerage account held through a Korean broker, so the original account summary is reported in Korean won while individual U.S. stock prices and dividend payments are shown in dollars. For this English review, I converted the top-level KRW account figures into USD for readability while preserving the broker’s original reported values.

One detail is worth clarifying before looking at the positions. The converted market value of $13,339.09 minus the converted total cost of $12,982.16 does not equal the broker-reported P/L of $291.13. The brokerage screenshot does not disclose the calculation method behind that P/L figure, so I preserve the displayed brokerage value instead of forcing a reconciliation from the visible USD columns.

September 2026 Stock Portfolio Update: Position Returns Were Widely Dispersed

The most useful part of this September 2026 stock portfolio update is not the +2.24% account return by itself. It is the spread between individual holdings.

Palantir (PLTR) finished the snapshot at +47.40%, far above every other position. NVIDIA (NVDA) was up +13.32% and Chevron was up +10.95%. At the opposite end, Boeing was down -11.55% and McDonald’s was down -11.37%.

Actual brokerage holdings snapshot as of September 30, 2026. The account was positive overall, but position-level returns ranged from +47.40% in PLTR to -11.55% in BA.

Sorting the positions by unrealized return makes the dispersion easier to see. Seven holdings were positive, but the strongest and weakest positions were separated by nearly 59 percentage points.

That does not make PLTR automatically attractive to buy at this level, nor does it make BA or MCD automatically attractive simply because they are below cost. A position return shows what has happened relative to my cost basis; it does not tell me whether the stock is currently undervalued or overvalued.

For comparison with the prior month’s position mix and returns, see the August 2026 portfolio review. Looking at consecutive snapshots is more useful to me than treating one month-end result as a forecast.

September Dividend Cash Flow Reached $16.52 After Withholding

Dividend income provided a second way to evaluate the account during September. Chevron, McDonald’s, and Broadcom all generated cash distributions during the month.

Actual September 2026 dividend receipt history from the brokerage account. Gross dividends totaled $19.42 and net cash received was $16.52.

The difference between gross and net dividends was $2.90. Based only on this month’s actual account receipts, the net amount represented about 85.1% of gross dividends and the withheld amount represented about 14.9%.

This should not be interpreted as a universal U.S. dividend-tax example. The account is held through a Korean brokerage, and the original statement also includes KRW-equivalent dividend and tax fields. These figures document what this specific account actually received.

Month-End Share Counts Do Not Always Match Dividend Share Counts

The month-end account showed 3 Chevron shares, 8 McDonald’s shares, and 2 Broadcom shares. Those current quantities do not all match the share counts implied by September’s dividend payments.

The reason is timing. A dividend receipt reflects the shares that qualified under the relevant dividend entitlement timeline, while the holdings screenshot reflects the account balance on September 30.

Chevron’s $10.68 gross payment equals six shares multiplied by its $1.78 quarterly dividend. Yet only three CVX shares remained in the account at month-end. The September dividend therefore reflects an earlier eligible position rather than the September 30 balance.

McDonald’s shows the other direction. The account held eight shares at month-end, but the $7.44 gross dividend equals four shares at $1.86 each. McDonald’s set September 1, 2026 as the record date, and the separate September 8 McDonald’s 4-share purchase record documents the additional shares acquired after that date. Those additional shares therefore were not reflected in this September dividend payment.

Broadcom is the simplest example: two shares multiplied by the $0.65 dividend produce the $1.30 gross payment shown in the brokerage record.

Dividend Income Did Not Erase the McDonald’s Unrealized Loss

McDonald’s is the clearest example of why dividend income and price return should be tracked separately. The position was down -11.37% at month-end, yet it still generated $6.33 in net dividend cash during September.

Chevron showed a different combination: a +10.95% unrealized return together with $9.08 in net dividends. Broadcom was only +0.61% above cost but contributed another $1.11 in net cash.

A dividend is actual cash received. An unrealized gain or loss measures how the current market price compares with the cost basis of shares still held. Both matter to total portfolio results, but they measure different parts of the investment experience.

For a deeper look at how I evaluate whether dividend payments are supported by the underlying business, see the dividend payout ratio and free-cash-flow guide. Dividend yield by itself does not establish payout sustainability.

What This September 2026 Stock Portfolio Update Sets Up for October

The September 2026 stock portfolio update gives me four reference points for the next review: the +2.24% total return, the drawdowns in BA and MCD, the much larger gains in PLTR and NVDA, and the $16.52 in actual net dividend cash flow.

Those numbers become more useful when tracked from one month to the next. A higher future portfolio return produced by broader participation across holdings would tell a different story from a higher return driven almost entirely by one position.

The same applies to dividend income. September’s $16.52 is small relative to the overall account value, but repeated monthly tracking can show how dividend cash flow changes as share counts and holdings evolve.

For the McDonald’s position specifically, the McDonald’s accumulation strategy review provides additional position-management context. The -11.37% month-end return documented here is a portfolio snapshot, not a stand-alone signal to buy, sell, or average down.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the +2.24% portfolio return realized profit?

No. The September 30 account showed a +2.24% total return, while realized P/L remained $0.00. The reported gain was associated with positions still held in the account rather than completed stock sales.

Why can dividend share counts differ from month-end holdings?

Dividend payments and month-end portfolio screenshots measure the account at different points in time. A dividend reflects the position eligible for that distribution, while the holdings screenshot shows how many shares remained in the account on September 30.

How much dividend cash reached the account in September?

Chevron, McDonald’s, and Broadcom generated $19.42 in gross dividends. After $2.90 in foreign withholding, the brokerage recorded $16.52 in net dividend cash.