Tech Giant Surges After Major Antitrust Win, Easing Investor Concerns

As markets react to a mix of legal victories, retail momentum, and corporate restructuring, dividend-paying stocks are capturing investor attention.

Alphabet and Apple both surged this week after a favorable U.S. federal court ruling eased antitrust concerns, while Macy’s continues to ride a wave of positive sales growth and upward earnings revisions.

At the same time, several companies are adjusting their dividends, both increases and cuts, offering opportunities and signals for income-focused investors.

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Manufacturing

Caterpillar’s Tariff Tab: $1.8 Billion and Counting

Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) says tariffs are now set to cost a jaw-dropping $1.8 billion this year.

For a company that lives on steel and aluminum, that’s like an athlete paying surge pricing just to get into the gym.

Guidance Holds, But Margins Don’t

Revenue projections? Unchanged. Margins? Squeezed. Think of it as still selling plenty of bulldozers, but with less fuel left in the dividend tank.

Investors love CAT for its payouts, and this update makes that stream look a little thinner.

The Bigger Picture

Caterpillar isn’t just a stock; it’s a weather vane for global trade. When tariffs flare, the yellow machines creak.

Management insists it can pass along some costs, but metal dependency means every policy shift lands like a hammer on margins.

Investor Takeaway

This isn’t a collapse, it’s stress testing. Owning Caterpillar here is like betting on a heavyweight fighter who can still take punches, even if the rounds keep getting longer.

CAT currently trades at $416 and pays a dividend of $6.04 per share, a yield of 1.45%.

CloudComputing

From Checkout to Cloud: Broadcom Lands the World’s Biggest Retailer

Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) just locked in Walmart as a flagship client.

The retailer will roll out VMware Cloud Foundation across its global operations, creating a private cloud and edge network to keep supply chains, stores, and digital services running on the same track.

Why It Matters

This isn’t just a trophy customer. It’s validation that Broadcom’s $69 billion VMware gamble is delivering real-world payoffs.

For years, the company has tried to prove it’s more than a chipmaker.

By anchoring its software division to the world’s largest retailer, Broadcom establishes itself as a mission-critical partner, not just another vendor.

The Market Angle

For investors, this is about stability and diversification. Hardware cycles are boom-and-bust. Software, especially sticky enterprise deals, creates recurring revenue and fatter margins.

Walmart’s vote of confidence signals to Wall Street that Broadcom’s cloud ambitions have teeth.

Investor Takeaway

Broadcom is still a semiconductor powerhouse, but deals like this suggest the moat is widening. If the Walmart rollout scales smoothly, expect other global players to follow.

For equity holders, that could mean steadier growth, broader appeal, and one more reason to see AVGO as more than just a chip stock.

AVGO currently trades at $297 and pays a dividend of $2.36 per share, a yield of 0.79%.

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Pharmaceuticals

Johnson & Johnson’s Pipeline Punches Above Its Weight

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) isn’t standing still.

The drugmaker is stacking late-stage approvals and regulatory wins, from autoimmune therapy Imaavy (nipocalimab) to bladder cancer candidate TAR-200 and psoriasis pill icotrokinra.

These aren’t niche plays — they’re pipelines within a pipeline, designed to power revenue growth well into the decade.

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Meanwhile, J&J’s oncology bench is starting to score. Carvykti, Tecvayli, and Talvey pulled in $1.3 billion in first-half 2025 sales, proving that new launches can quickly scale into serious revenue engines.

Add the acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies and its flagship antidepressant Caplyta, and the neuroscience side of the house just got stronger.

Strategic Math

Management now sees 10 products with the potential to each generate $5 billion in peak sales.

That’s not science fiction but a sign J&J is reshaping itself into a diversified medicine powerhouse with multiple shots on goal.

Investor Takeaway

This isn’t about a single approval. It’s about building a machine that converts R&D and M&A into durable growth.

For equity holders, J&J looks less like a defensive play and more like a steady compounder with upside.

JNJ currently trades at $178 and pays a dividend of $5.20 per share, a yield of 2.93%.

STC has increased its dividend payment to 53 cents, an increase of 5%. Its new yield is 2.98%.

NAT has increased its dividend payment to 10 cents, a rise of 42.86%. Its new yield is 12.88%. 

METCB has boosted its dividend payment to 19 cents per share, an increase of 5.91%. Its new yield is 4.6%.

MAA has cut its dividend payment to $1.06, a drop of 29.87%. Its new yield is 2.99%.

FTV has reduced its dividend payment to 6 cents, a decline of 25%. Its new yield is 0.49%. 

NUSB has cut its dividend payment to 9 cents, a reduction of 1.13%. Its new yield is 4.59%.

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Everything Else

• The Kraft Heinz Company has announced that it will split into two separate companies to simplify its current corporate structure and maximize resources.  

• A Verizon software issue has left thousands of unhappy customers in California without a wireless connection.

• Broadcom will release its Q3 earnings data after the bell on Thursday (09/04) – will strong semiconductor revenues lead to a surprise to the upside? 

• After losing out to Exxon in court earlier this summer, Chevron has signed a new deal to take over offshore operations in the AREA OFF-1 block in Uruguay.