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- Breakthrough in Lyme Vaccine Trials Sets Up Prescription for Growth
Breakthrough in Lyme Vaccine Trials Sets Up Prescription for Growth
Promising new vaccine trial could reshape healthcare for common disease while reinforcing dividend stability, giving investors growth opportunities alongside reliable income streams.
Noah Zelvis
September 07, 2025
In partnership with
A promising new Lyme vaccine has cleared another key hurdle, paving the way for potential approvals and widespread sales in the U.S. and Europe.
The markets may be see-sawing, but opportunities abound for growth-minded investors who know where to look.
How 433 Investors Unlocked 400X Return Potential
Institutional investors back startups to unlock outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.
Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900% in the same timeframe.
Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes the $1.3T vacation home market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.
The same institutional investors behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Pacaso’s investment opportunity ends September 18.
Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.
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Financials
Goldman Sachs Buys Its Way Into Your 401(k)
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) just dropped a cool billion to take a 3.5% stake in T. Rowe Price. That’s not pocket change — it’s a strategic ticket into T. Rowe’s retirement empire.
Two-thirds of T. Rowe’s assets sit in retirement accounts, the kind of sticky capital Wall Street dreams of. Goldman just bought the keys to that vault.
Retirement Money Meets Wall Street Muscle
The partnership links Goldman’s private markets machine with T. Rowe’s client base. Translation: fee income that doesn’t vanish every time trading slows down.
For Goldman holders, this makes the bank look less like a trading junkie and more like a diversified wealth engine.
A Lifeline for T. Rowe
T. Rowe hasn’t exactly been crushing it lately, bleeding assets and trading at half its 2021 peak. Goldman stepping in is both validation and fresh capital.
The tie-up could revitalize growth and keep those dividends flowing. That’s a welcome signal for investors tired of watching outflows.
The Upshot
This isn’t just another Wall Street deal. It’s a mash-up that could reshape retirement investing by marrying distribution scale with financial firepower.
For shareholders on both sides, the appeal lies in stability, scale, and a new growth story
just getting started.
GS currently trades at $736 and pays a dividend of $16.00 per share, a yield of 2.17%.
Asset Management
BlackRock’s Citi Deal Shows Who Really Runs the Asset Game
BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) just scooped up $80 billion in assets from Citigroup (NYSE: C), proving once again that scale answers more questions than strategy decks. Citi bankers will still smile for the clients, but BlackRock now runs the money and plugs them into its Aladdin platform.
That tech piece is the real prize. Once Aladdin is in the system, switching providers feels like pulling the wiring out of a skyscraper.
Turning Flow Into Power
The $80 billion inflow means steady fees and deeper access to wealthy and retirement clients, the kind of money that doesn’t flinch on bad headlines. It also accelerates BlackRock’s charge toward $400 billion in private-market assets by 2030, a goal that suddenly looks more reachable.
A Fortress in Motion
Shareholders see the dividend backed by stickier revenues, not just index funds skating on thin margins. Partnerships like this make the firm look built to weather storms, not just ride waves.
Citi may still hold the client relationships, but BlackRock owns the plumbing. And in finance, the one who runs the pipes usually controls the flow of profits.
Who Really Runs the Show
This isn’t just $80 billion changing custodians. It’s BlackRock reminding Citi and the rest of Wall Street who actually pulls the strings.
The world’s largest asset manager doesn’t just manage portfolios anymore. It’s running the very infrastructure that rivals depend on.
BLK currently trades at $1,095 and pays a dividend of $20.84 per share, a yield of 1.90%
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Consumer
1,000 Cafés, $150K Each: Starbucks Tries to Win Back Its ‘Third Place
Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) is pouring $150 million into renovating 1,000 cafés by 2026. Think new seating, softer lighting, thicker walls, and more plugs for laptops.
The upgrades are designed to revive Starbucks’ “third place” reputation, a vibe that’s been slipping as rivals fought on speed and price. Longer stays mean more orders, more customization, and fatter tickets.
Reinvesting Where It Matters
The math here is about $150,000 per store, and Starbucks isn’t closing doors to do it. That’s a statement: the in-store experience is still the engine of its brand.
For shareholders, this isn’t just cosmetic. Comfortable chairs and steady outlets translate into traffic from students, freelancers, and professionals — a base that tends to pay up for premium coffee.
Premium Over Price Wars
While fast-food rivals chase value menus, Starbucks is leaning into experience. The bet is that ambience plus digital ordering beats discount lattes.
If it works, same-store sales will stabilize, revenue will smooth out, and dividend support will feel less stretched. Investors don’t just get a coffee chain; they get a lifestyle brand defending its turf.
Power Play
A thousand remodels aren’t window dressing. It’s Starbucks doubling down on what made it famous: cafés as destinations, not drive-thrus.
That makes this renovation blitz less about paint and plaster and more about protecting long-term growth one latte at a time.
SBUX currently trades at $85 and pays a dividend of $2.44 per share, a yield of 2.85%.
Dividend Stocks Worth Watching
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has completed Stage 2 trials of its new Lyme Disease vaccine, five years after entering into a collaboration agreement with Valneva. The Phase II VLA15-221 clinical trial was focused on the second booster dose of the vaccine candidate, VLA15.
Delivered one year after the first vaccine dose, the booster was found to cause no adverse reaction in candidates. This means Phase 3 trials can now proceed. If successful, Pfizer will request authorization from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency next year, ahead of a rollout to areas where Lyme Disease is endemic. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the USA and affects millions of people annually.
Pfizer currently pays a quarterly dividend of 43 cents, yielding 6.98%.
Vistra (NYSE: VST), a Fortune 500 integrated retail electricity and power generation company based in Irvine, Texas, has been making headlines lately with a series of developments, driven by data center demand for its nuclear power.
At the start of August, it was revealed that the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) had taken a 5.5% stake, making it the third-largest VST stakeholder. The firm significantly expanded its power generation capabilities in Q2 and extended its six nuclear reactor licenses for a total of 60 years. Vistra also announced the dual listing of its common stock, effective Aug. 19, on NYSE Texas, the newly launched fully electronic equities exchange headquartered in Dallas.
For investors, the speed and scale of expansion support a solid long-term outlook and ongoing dividend attractiveness. VST currently pays a 23-cent quarterly dividend, with six consecutive years of payout increases.
CSG (NASDAQ: CSGS), a provider of billing and customer experience software, has signed a multi-year contract extension and expansion agreement with Charter Communications. Building on the existing relationship, this expansion will see CSG continue in its role as revenue management and monetization partner for Charter until 203. CSG will also take on new roles with additional support for Charter across new business units.
CSGS stock has climbed more than 5% in the last month and is up 27.49% year-to-date. It has declared a 23-cent quarterly dividend, with a 1.96% yield.
Dividend Increases
VICI has increased its dividend payment to 45 cents per share, an increase of 4.05%. Its new yield is 5.36%.
TKO has increased its dividend payment to 76 cents, a 100% increase. Its new yield is 1.63%.
PECO has increased its dividend payment to 11 cents per share, representing a 5.66% rise. Its new yield is 3.7%.
Dividend Decreases
PAGS has cut its dividend payment to 12 cents per share, a reduction of 14.29%. Its new yield is 1.5%.
NPV has cut its dividend payment to 65 cents, a drop of 9.72%. Its new dividend is 7.7%.
FUND has cut its dividend payment to 13 cents, a drop of 0.47%. Its new dividend is 6.2%.
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Poll: Which fast-food chain once accepted Bitcoin as payment in 2013 for a test run? |
Upcoming Dividend Payers
SO’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming 74-cent dividend is 09/08/2025.
TSCO’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming 23-cent dividend is 09/09/2025.
JNJ’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming $1.30 dividend is 09/09/2025.
Everything Else
Home Depot has completed a $5.5bn acquisition of specialty building products distributor GMS.
Clothing retailer GAP has announced that it will begin selling beauty and personal care items this fall. It will start with a test launch in-store at Old Navy.
Salesforce’s CEO says the company has laid off thousands of customer service personnel and will use AI to fulfil those roles.
Convenience store chain Casey’s has laid its claim to game day, tapping NFL Pro Defensive back Cooper DeJean to push its breakfast pizzas.
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