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A New Shot Just Put This Pharma Back In The Obesity Race

A promising clinical update has shifted the tone around a long-awaited comeback in weight loss drugs.

While still early, the data hints at a more convenient treatment option that could reintroduce a powerful growth lever over time.

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Enterprise

AI Is Forcing Oracle to Open the Wallet

Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) is preparing to raise roughly $45 to $50 billion through a mix of debt and equity as it ramps up cloud infrastructure for AI workloads.

That level of financing puts this among the most aggressive capital moves in Oracle’s history and shows how expensive it has become to stay relevant in AI.

The funds are aimed squarely at data centers, advanced chips, and long-term infrastructure commitments.

Oracle is not dabbling here; it is building capacity at a scale usually reserved for hyperscalers.

Locked In, No Turning Back

Oracle already has long-term commitments from major AI customers across chips, platforms, and consumer internet companies.

Those contracts guarantee demand but also force massive upfront spending to deliver compute at scale.

That is the tradeoff. Oracle is choosing relevance and scale over near-term financial comfort. When you watch legacy tech firms adapt to AI, this is what full commitment actually looks like.

Software Margins Meet Reality

This move pushes Oracle deeper into infrastructure economics rather than its traditional high-margin software model.

Cash flow pressure rises, returns stretch out, and execution matters more than ever.

The blended debt and equity approach helps preserve balance sheet flexibility while keeping credit markets onside.

If you care about durability, this structure suggests Oracle is trying to grow without breaking its financial spine.

ORCL currently trades at $154.00 and pays a dividend of $2.00 per share, a yield of 1.29%.

Logistics

FedEx Takes Aim at the Most Broken Part of E-commerce

FedEx (NYSE: FDX) is pushing deeper into e-commerce infrastructure with new AI-powered tools like Tracking+ and Returns+.

The goal is not faster trucks or more planes, but fixing what happens after a customer clicks buy.

Tracking gaps, vague delivery updates, and painful returns are some of the biggest friction points in online shopping.

FedEx is embedding AI into shipment visibility, customer communication, and returns management to clean up that mess, the moment when trust in a brand often breaks.

The Ugly Side of Online Shopping

As e-commerce matures, speed alone is no longer the differentiator. Experience, data, and automation are more important than raw delivery volume.

FedEx already handles millions of shipments every day, giving it a powerful advantage.

Where logistics value is shifting, you see FedEx pursuing higher-margin digital services instead of fighting endless shipping price wars.

More Than a Delivery Company

This strategy nudges FedEx away from being seen purely as a carrier and closer to a commerce technology partner.

Helping merchants manage returns, reduce support costs, and improve post-purchase experience becomes just as important as moving boxes.

If you are thinking long term, owning the post-purchase experience is where leverage builds.

FedEx’s AI push signals an industry shift where you are no longer betting on trucks and planes alone, but on data, software, and control after the package leaves the warehouse.

FDX currently trades at $353 and pays a dividend of $5.80 per share, a yield of 1.64%.

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Consumer Retail

Automation Comes to the Coffee Counter

Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) is embedding automation and artificial intelligence deeper into its U.S. stores as it works to rebuild traffic and restore consistency.

This is not about flashy tech; it is about making everyday operations run the same way, every time.

AI is now handling order intake at some drive-thru locations, digital assistants support baristas with recipes and scheduling, and automated inventory scanning is replacing manual stock checks that often caused empty shelves and delays.

The Pain Was Showing

After years of slowing visits, menu sprawl, labor pressure, and rising costs, Starbucks has already pulled several levers.

It simplified offerings, cut overhead, exited non-core assets, and slowed price hikes.

Automation is the next step, designed to make those fixes stick. If you are watching closely, this is Starbucks admitting that execution, not branding, was the real problem inside the stores.

Tech That Gets Out of the Way

Starbucks is framing technology as a support system, not a replacement for the coffeehouse experience.

By stripping out repetitive tasks, staff can focus on speed, accuracy, and customer interaction.

That matters in a crowded, value-conscious market where small mistakes add up fast. If you care about durability, this approach favors discipline over novelty.

Starbucks is betting that getting the basics right at scale is how you win back trust, traffic, and margins without chasing the next trend.

SBUX currently trades at $93 and pays a dividend of $2.48 per share, a yield of 2.67%.

Dividend Stocks Worth Watching

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) has named parks chief Josh D’Amaro as its next CEO, bringing long-awaited clarity to the company’s succession plans as Bob Iger prepares to step aside.

The appointment signals a deliberate shift toward operational execution.

D’Amaro has been a key architect of Disney's most consistent profit engine, its parks and experiences business, and his promotion suggests a tighter focus on cash flow, discipline, and delivery rather than big strategic pivots.

For investors, the move removes a lingering overhang.

With succession risk fading and leadership anchored in the company's strongest division, the transition is likely to be stabilizing, leaving management free to focus on streaming and content strategy. 

DIS pays a 75-cent dividend, with a 1.39% yield. 

PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) has reported its fourth-quarter results, with pricing strength continuing to offset softer volumes across parts of its snacks and beverages portfolio.

Earnings edged ahead of expectations, supported by disciplined pricing and cost control, while revenue growth remained uneven as consumers stayed value-conscious, particularly in North America.

Management struck a measured tone on the outlook, acknowledging near-term demand pressure while reiterating confidence in the company’s brand strength and international growth opportunities.

For investors, the update reinforced PepsiCo’s defensive appeal rather than signaling acceleration.

With pricing power intact and cash generation steady, the company remains focused on protecting margins and sustaining its long-standing commitment to dividends, even as consumer spending remains selective.

PEP pays a $1.42 dividend, yielding 3.42%. 

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE)’s new monthly obesity injection has shown encouraging results in an early-stage clinical trial, marking a potential step forward in its effort to re-enter the fast-moving weight-loss market.

The treatment demonstrated meaningful weight loss with a less frequent dosing schedule than current weekly injections, a feature that could appeal to patients seeking greater convenience.

Management framed the data as preliminary but promising, highlighting monthly dosing as a possible differentiator if results hold up in later-stage trials.

This update serves as a timely reminder that Pfizer is still actively building optionality beyond its COVID-era revenue base.

While the obesity program remains early, any credible progress in this space could materially improve the company’s longer-term growth outlook and support its ability to sustain shareholder returns.

PFE currently pays a 43-cent quarterly dividend, yielding 6.46%.

Dividend Increases

MTCH has increased its dividend payment to 20 cents, a growth of 5.26%. Its new yield is 2.77%.

3M has raised its dividend to 78 cents, a rise of 6.85%. Its new yield is 2.01%. 

KFRC has lifted its dividend payment to 40 cents, a growth of 2.56%. Its new yield is 4.37%. 

CINF has boosted its dividend payment to 94 cents per share, a growth of 8.05%. The yield is now 2.34%.

Dividend Decreases

OXLC has cut its dividend payment to 20 cents, a drop of 50.00%. Its new yield is 19.8%.

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Upcoming Dividend Payers

GD’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming $1.50 payment is 02/06/26.

COKE’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming 25-cent payment is 02/06/26.

MA’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming 87-cent payment is 02/09/26.

DE’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming $1.62 payment is 02/09/26.

Everything Else

  • PayPal has announced a CEO change, with Alex Chris stepping down and former HP CEO Enrique Lores taking over. The change comes as PYPL navigates a tricky payments landscape.

  • Eli Lilly has posted commanding quarterly results thanks to record demand for its obesity jabs, with revenue up 43% in Q4

  • Expect to see more Tractor Supply stores near you in 2026. The retailer is currently neck-and-neck with Dollar General in planned store openings over the next 12 months. 

  • American Express has higher-income customers to thank for its strong quarterly performance, with restaurant spending up 9% in Q4 while retail spending increased 10%.

That’s all for today’s edition of the Dividend Brief.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any feedback or dividend stocks you want me to take a look at, just reply to this email!

—Noah Zelvis
DividendBrief.com