Long-Standing Oil Refiner Keeps the Dividends Flowing

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

Today, we will look into T-Mobile, UPS, and Starbucks, highlight a few dividend stocks worth watching as well as share companies that are about to pay a dividend in the next few days.

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Telecommunications

T-Mobile Spends $2B to Lock Down Florida and Push Into New Markets

T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) has completed a $2 billion network expansion across Florida, upgrading or installing more than 2,600 sites to increase 5G speed, capacity, and resilience.

The improvements now cover nearly the entire state, reaching 22 million people and significantly boosting average download performance.

The company also enhanced disaster response capabilities and introduced new public safety tools through its T-Priority program.

This expansion reflects T-Mobile’s broader shift from consumer-only service into more durable, infrastructure-driven segments.

The company is building private 5G networks for transportation systems, expanding fixed wireless access for residential customers, and integrating fiber in select areas.

For existing shareholders, this shows that T-Mobile is delivering on its post-merger investment cycle.

The company has grown its addressable market while improving reliability and uptime in a hurricane-prone region.

Florida now serves as a showcase for how T-Mobile plans to scale local infrastructure with long-term contract potential across municipalities, businesses, and residential users.

Those looking to build a position in the stock should see this rollout as more than geographic coverage.

It reflects strategic execution in high-growth areas, such as home broadband and public sector connectivity.

The company is also positioning itself as a key partner in infrastructure modernization, with more states likely to follow.

TMUS currently trades at $241 and pays a dividend of $3.52 per share, a yield of 1.46%.

Logistics

This Isn’t a Routine Buyout. UPS Is Rebuilding Its Business From the Inside Out

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is rolling out voluntary buyout packages to its full-time U.S. drivers as part of a sweeping restructuring effort, the largest network reconfiguration in the company’s history.

The move is part of a broader plan to eliminate 20,000 jobs and close 73 facilities as UPS adjusts to reduced package volumes from Amazon and ongoing cost pressures resulting from U.S. tariffs.

These buyouts follow a network overhaul first announced in April and have drawn immediate pushback from the Teamsters union, which claims the decision violates the company’s national labor contract.

UPS, for its part, said it will adhere to the terms of the existing agreement.

For long-term shareholders, this restructuring presents a complex tradeoff.

UPS is aggressively right-sizing its network in response to secular shifts in delivery demand and margin compression from e-commerce clients. 

On the other hand, it’s now operating under heightened union scrutiny, a risk that could limit future labor flexibility and spark reputational backlash in a labor-sensitive year.

Investors watching from the sidelines should pay close attention to how UPS navigates this transition.

The success of this buyout plan may shape not only labor relations but the company’s ability to defend its cost structure as it pivots toward high-margin segments and reevaluates its Amazon exposure.

UPS currently trades at $104 and pays a dividend of $6.56 per share, a yield of 6.30%.

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Food & Beverage

Starbucks Ties Millions in Executive Pay to Turnaround Speed

Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) has introduced a new performance-based equity grant that could pay top executives up to $6 million if they meet key milestones tied to its “Back to Starbucks” turnaround strategy.

The award, disclosed in an SEC filing, links compensation to specific cost-saving targets and execution timelines, including the rollout of new beverage platforms, changes to the Starbucks Rewards program, and updates to in-store service models.

This decision comes as the company remains locked in contract negotiations with unionized store workers, many of whom are still fighting for base pay increases above 2 percent.

For long-term shareholders, the equity grant serves as a signal that leadership is now financially aligned with operational delivery, not just strategic planning.

The plan’s structure prioritizes speed and execution, offering payout only if specific transformation benchmarks are hit by 2027.

That alignment may provide reassurance to holders who’ve weathered traffic declines, customer backlash, and service slowdowns over the past year.

For those considering a position at Starbucks, this filing demonstrates how closely the company is aligning leadership pay with cost efficiency and in-store recovery.

Whether the turnaround succeeds will depend less on product launches and more on how quickly Starbucks can rebuild its customer experience without stalling labor momentum or undermining brand trust.

SBUX currently trades at $94 and pays a dividend of $2.44 per share, a yield of 2.59%.

PNC increased its dividend payout to $1.70 per share, a 6.3% rise. Its new forward yield is 3.47%.

BNY expanded its dividend payout to 53 cents per share, a 13% increase. Its new forward yield is 3.46%. 

WFC improved its dividend payout to 45 cents per share, an increase of 12.5%. Its new forward yield is 1.91%.

BCAT dropped its dividend payout to 27.55 cents per share, a cut of 0.98%. Its new dividend yield is 22.5%.

USMC slashed its dividend payout to 13.23 cents per share, a cut of 4.56%. Its new dividend yield is 0.81%.

PSC decreased its dividend payout to 11.01 cents per share, a cut of 0.23%. Its new dividend yield is 0.82%

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Everything Else

• Vietnam / U.S. trade developments mean good news for dividend-yielding retail and apparel stocks like Nike. 

• Big pharma is facing new threats in the growing weight loss sector.  

• Oil exploration stocks may soon see a resurgence amid growing international production plans. 

• Automaker stocks may soon get a reprieve if EU trade talks improve over the long weekend. 

• eComm is Walmart’s ticket to hyper-growth, according to Morgan Stanley analysts.