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Major Auto Maker Confirms Unexpected Sales Surge to Defy EV Doubters
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Nuclear
The Carolinas Are About to Need a Lot More Juice
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) just dropped a massive blueprint for the Carolinas.
Demand is set to grow eight times faster than it has in the past decade and a half, fueled by AI data centers, EV charging, and new factories.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when the digital world meets the power grid, here’s your answer.
The region needs more than a sprinkle of solar panels — it needs big, steady power plants.
Nuclear’s Second Act
To meet that demand, Duke is dusting off its nuclear playbook. The company is weighing both full-scale reactors and newer modular ones, with sites already flagged in North and South Carolina.
The timeline? Expect new plants to go live in the mid-2030s.
Coal Still Hanging On
Coal isn’t gone yet. Duke plans to extend the life of some plants, using them as a bridge until nuclear and low-carbon options take over.
You might not love the idea, but it’s a pragmatic play to keep lights on in the meantime.
Power demand is breaking records across the Carolinas. The company that can actually deliver is the one worth watching.
DUK currently trades at $123 and pays a dividend of $4.26 per share, a yield of 3.46%.
Industrials
You Can Build Roads, But Can You Dodge Backlash?
Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) just watched Dutch pension fund ABP sell off its €387 million stake.
That’s not pocket change, and the reason stings: ABP’s new sustainability rules no longer fit with Caterpillar’s global controversies.
For you, this is the kind of exit that shows ESG screens aren’t just buzzwords anymore. When one of Europe’s largest funds taps out, it forces people to pay attention.
The Bulldozer Problem
The heat comes from Caterpillar equipment tied to demolitions in Palestinian territories, a long-running flashpoint.
Human rights groups have targeted the company for years, and now the pressure is hitting its shareholder base.
You might think this is just one fund, but when the world’s fourth-largest pension says “we’re done,” others could start doing their own homework too.
What It Means Going Forward
Caterpillar is still a heavyweight in mining and infrastructure. Its machines are busy worldwide, and demand isn’t drying up anytime soon.
But reputational risks like this don’t disappear quietly.
If more funds follow ABP’s lead, Caterpillar could find itself battling perception as much as competition.
And if you’re watching CAT, the real question is whether the company can keep contracts flowing while sidestepping the growing ESG spotlight.
CAT currently trades at $474.00 and pays a dividend of $6.04 per share, a yield of 1.28%.
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Cloud
IBM Finds Its Mojo in the AI Arms Race
IBM (NYSE: IBM) has been fighting to stay relevant in cloud, and this time it’s swinging big.
Partnering with AMD (NASDAQ: AMD), it just launched one of the largest generative AI training clusters yet, powering open-source startup Zyphra.
Instead of just renting servers, IBM is establishing itself as the place where multimodal models are actually trained at scale. That’s not catch-up mode, that’s headline mode.
Beating the Nvidia Habit
Here’s where it gets interesting. The cluster runs entirely on AMD’s Instinct GPUs, which puts IBM on a different track than the Nvidia-dominated crowd.
For you, that means real competition in the AI hardware story, and IBM gets to ride that wave.
It’s a rare win-win: AMD shows off its muscle, and IBM proves it can deliver bleeding-edge infrastructure without standing in anyone’s shadow.
The Street Cred Play
Zyphra is training “Maia,” its so-called superagent, on IBM Cloud. Even if the AI itself fizzles, IBM already scored the trophy picture.
It can now point to one of the buzziest startups as proof that its cloud is AI-ready.
That kind of marketing isn’t just smoke.
It puts IBM back in conversations it hasn’t been part of for years, and if more labs follow Zyphra’s lead, IBM suddenly appears to be more than a legacy name.
IBM currently trades at $282 and pays a dividend of $6.72 per share, a yield of 2.38%.
Dividend Stocks Worth Watching
Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has agreed to reduce the cost of some of its medicines by as much as 85% to secure a three-year reprieve from President Trump's proposed 100% tariffs on the pharmaceutical industry.
As part of the agreement, Pfizer will also sell directly to American consumers. A selection of its medicines will be available at discounted rates via the TrumpRx website.
Many of the items sold will be an average of 50% cheaper, with some available for up to 85% less than the usual cost.
Although some experts argue patients won’t see any meaningful cost savings, Wall Street has reacted positively to the update.
PFE stock has leapt more than 13% in the last 24 hours. The S&P 500 Pharmaceuticals Index also responded positively, gaining 3.8%.
PFE currently pays a quarterly dividend of 43 cents, yielding 6.40%.
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) has just posted a bumper third-quarter performance.
Most surprising? One of the biggest drivers (pardon the pun) of this stellar sales streak has been red-hot demand for EVs.
Much has been made of the American motorist falling out of love with electric vehicles, but the removal of the $7,500 federal incentive has convinced record numbers they’d rather plug in than fill up.
Ford reports that its EV sales increased by around 30% compared to the same period last year.
To prolong this winning streak, Ford, along with General Motors, has pledged to extend the EV credit beyond the September 30 deadline.
Ford’s record EV sales have given stock prices a boost, with a 4.39% increase in the last five sessions. The automaker currently pays a 15-cent dividend with a yield of 4.94%.
Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) is seeing the fruits of its labor ripening after beating Wall Street estimates with 1% revenue growth and strong sales figures across its business.
The sports giant has just released its FY2026 Q1 earnings, with data showing that its turnaround efforts are starting to take hold.
The footwear and sports equipment manufacturer reported a 1% increase in revenue and adjusted earnings per share of $0.49, almost double the $0.26 expected.
NKE pays a 40-cent dividend with a yield of 2.18%.
Dividend Increases
AFG has increased its dividend payment to 88 cents per share, representing a 10% increase. Its new yield is 2.42%.
FMAO has increased its dividend payment to 23 cents per share, representing a 2.82% rise. Its new yield is 3.64%.
HON has increased its dividend payment to $1.19 per share, representing a 5.31% rise. Its new yield is 2.29%.
Dividend Decreases
CALM has cut its dividend by 41.7%. The new payout is $1.37 per share, with a yield of 5.82%.
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Everything Else
Meta has signed a $14.2 billion long-term cloud deal with CoreWeave as it continues to invest heavily in AI infrastructure. This investment will give Meta access to Nvidia's GB300 server racks.
Comcast has appointed Mike Cavanagh to serve as co-CEO alongside Brian Roberts as the company targets growth in 2026.
Luxury leather handbag brand Coach has opened a new coffee shop at a mall in Jersey as part of its plans to launch up to 15 new cafes each year to attract more Gen Z shoppers.
Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott says the company plans to reduce its reliance on partners like Nvidia by using its own AI data center chips in the future.
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