Industrial Robotics Stock Eyes Expansion Opportunities

Hello and welcome to Dividend Brief, the 2-times-weekly newsletter focused on dividend investing.

Today, we will look into Texas Instruments, Paramount, and Amgen, highlight a few dividend stocks worth watching as well as share companies that are about to pay a dividend in the next few days.

ChatGPT Boom Stocks (Sponsored)

Free ChatGPT Investor Guide: 5 Stocks to Buy

It's lifting Artificial Intelligence to a new level — answering follow-up questions, admitting mistakes, challenging incorrect premises, rejecting inappropriate requests, and more.

That’s why Zacks just released a Special Report that names and explains 5 tickers to lead the way.

Among them is a “Sleeper Stock” that is still cruising under Wall Street’s radar.

All 5 have exceptional profit potential. There couldn’t be a better time for this investor briefing.

Click here now to claim your copy FREE

Semiconductors

Texas Instruments Goes All-In on American Chipmaking With $60B Buildout

Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) is making one of the largest semiconductor investments in U.S. history, spending $60 billion to build seven new chip factories across Texas and Utah.

The move is expected to create about 60,000 jobs and significantly expand the company’s domestic manufacturing footprint.

Work has already started at several locations. In Sherman, Texas, one plant is scheduled to begin production this year, and three more are planned.

The company is also expanding operations in Richardson, Texas, and Lehi, Utah.

For shareholders, this bold expansion reinforces Texas Instruments’ long-term strategy of building and owning its production capacity.

With growing demand from U.S. tech giants like Apple, Ford, Nvidia, and Medtronic, the company is positioning itself as a key domestic supplier of core analog and embedded chips.

Texas Instruments is playing both sides of the political aisle: the company previously received $1.6 billion under Biden’s CHIPS Act and is now partnering with the Trump administration on this latest wave.

The investment strengthens TXN’s role as a reliable U.S. manufacturing anchor, aiming to reduce supply chain risks and secure future growth.

TXN currently trades at $204 and pays a dividend of $5.44 per share, a yield of 2.67%.

Media & Entertainment

Paramount Scraps Showtime Name in Streaming Shake-Up

Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA) has dropped the "Showtime" name from its top streaming tier, rebranding it as Paramount+ Premium.

This move consolidates its offerings under a single identity while maintaining pricing and content.

The renamed ad-free plan still includes Showtime's hit franchises like Dexter and Yellowjackets, live CBS streams, and full access to Paramount's library.

However, the decision to remove the Showtime name from its direct-to-consumer service signals a deeper pivot: Paramount is now aligning all streaming tiers more tightly under its flagship Paramount+ brand.

For investors, this change suggests a cost-conscious strategy. Instead of promoting two separate brands, Paramount is focusing on unifying marketing spend and subscriber messaging.

This approach could help contain churn and improve margins as the company competes with Netflix, Disney+, and Warner Bros. Discovery's Max.

Rivals like Warner have gone through similar brand whiplash with Max/HBO.

Paramount's quieter, more focused shift may indicate a long-term plan to stabilize its streaming footprint without the disruption or pricing changes seen elsewhere.

The move doesn't alter the product's core features, but it does suggest a deeper operational effort to simplify offerings, eliminate redundancies, and create clarity for both consumers and shareholders.

Whether this streamlining improves subscriber growth or retention remains to be seen, but it reflects the company's intent to stay relevant in a crowded and competitive market.

PARA currently trades at $12 and pays a dividend of $0.20 per share, a yield of 1.64%.

Next AI Boom (Sponsored)

Policy-Driven Profits: 9 AI Stocks With Upside in a Changing Market

Tensions between the U.S. and China are rewriting the rules of the AI economy — and Wall Street is already adjusting.

Nvidia is taking a hit from new export restrictions, but several smaller, U.S.-based players are quietly stepping into the spotlight.

A newly released report highlights 9 under-the-radar AI stocks that are already aligned with Washington’s new direction — and may see outsized upside as a result.

These names offer deep AI exposure, domestic infrastructure, and momentum most investors haven’t noticed yet.

Access our FREE report, "Top 9 AI Stocks for This Month" to discover these opportunities before the broader market catches on.

Biopharma

Investors Shrug Off Amgen's 20% Weight Loss Drug Milestone as Novo Nordisk Steals Spotlight

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) posted updated results from its Phase 2 trial of MariTide, a weight loss drug candidate, showing an average reduction of up to 20% in patients with obesity and no diabetes and 17% for those with Type 2 diabetes.

The company also unveiled a less frequent dosing schedule designed to support patient adherence and achieve longer-term results.

Despite the encouraging clinical data, Amgen's shares did not see market gains.

The timing of the update coincided with news that Novo Nordisk's experimental compound Amycretin has advanced to Phase 3 after achieving a 24.3% weight loss.

This milestone appears to have reset market expectations. The contrast between the two updates highlights an important dynamic for investors.

Amgen's results are based on solid ground and signal a competitive entry into the obesity drug market.

But with Novo accelerating and posting bigger headline numbers, the market's focus is shifting rapidly toward next-gen contenders.

For shareholders, the reaction serves as a reminder that clinical success alone doesn't guarantee an upside when peers move faster or louder.

The obesity treatment market remains one of the most fiercely contested pharma battlegrounds, and long-term value may hinge not just on efficacy but also on strategic rollout, trial timing, and market positioning.

Amgen continues to signal it belongs in the race, but it now has to run harder to stay visible.

AMGN currently trades at $279 and pays a dividend of $9.52 per share, a yield of 3.42%.

ISTR increased its dividend payout to 11 cents per share, a 4.8% rise. Its new forward yield is 2.41%.

GIS expanded its dividend payout to 61 cents per share, a 1.7% increase. Its new forward yield is 4.57%. 

WOR improved its dividend payout to 19 cents per share, an increase of 11.8%. Its new forward yield is 1.28%.

RAFI suspended its quarterly dividend to focus its financial efforts on a $1 million stock buyback.

PBT slashed its dividend payout to 1.3 cents per share, a cut of 30%. Its new dividend yield is 1.28%.

PSCI decreased its dividend payout to 20.4 cents per share, a cut of 35.8%. Its new dividend yield is 0.64%.

Secure Wealth Strategy (Sponsored)

A Political Crisis Is Coming. This Asset Could Save You

Starting this July, big banks can legally treat gold as cash—and they’re wasting no time.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans are still heavily invested in volatile paper assets.

One economist says gold is now “the only money banks trust.”

There’s still time to catch up, using an IRS-approved method that avoids taxes or penalties.

This FREE Wealth Protection Guide explains how to move before the window closes.

[Click here to access the guide]

P.S. Every day you wait, the insiders move further ahead. Get the facts before July hits.

Everything Else

• BP popped after Shell acquisition rumors leaked.

• FedEx earnings topped estimates, but that isn’t stopping shares from dropping on weaker outlook.

• Likewise, General Mills execs said that the year ahead is looking rough. 

• Real estate stocks may suffer after the recent New York mayoral blowout. 

• Immigration talk is increasingly in the spotlight during corporate earnings calls.