Easy Peasy #55: Build Your Dividend Portfolio & Live Off Dividends with Pre-Selected Stock Sets

Dividend Growing Stock Sets – Start with $300, $500, or $1,000 Weekly

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

In this section, we share ready-made sets of promising dividend growth stocks with strong future dividend potential.

We also track performance and provide portfolio links for each set, so you can monitor past results and real-time updates.

⭐️ Premium Content

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Intro

Wall Street grinds higher ahead of NVDA earnings, energy and tech lead gains

U.S. stocks climbed through most of Wednesday, extending Tuesday’s rally as traders braced for tonight’s highly anticipated NVDA earnings. The Dow gained +146.98 pts (+0.32%) to 45,565, the S&P 500 added +15.43 pts (+0.24%) to 6,481, the Nasdaq rose +45.87 pts (+0.21%) to 21,590, and the Russell 2000 outperformed, up +15.20 pts (+0.64%) to 2,373.

Markets were focused squarely on Nvidia’s results after the bell, given its oversized influence: NVDA now represents 8% of the S&P 500, 10% of QQQ, and a staggering 16% of XLK. Bespoke noted that if the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index were cap-weighted, NVDA would account for 48%, with AVGO and TSM bringing the top three to 76%. Most S&P sectors closed higher (**9 up, 2 down**), led by Energy on rebounding oil prices and Tech on upbeat software earnings (**MDB, NCNO**). Treasuries eased, crypto slipped, and gold edged higher.

Notably, Charlie Bilello highlighted that the Dow’s streak of calendar years with at least one all-time high just hit 13, topping the 1989–2000 record of 12 years. Also, over 70% of S&P 500 components now trade above their 200-day MA, marking the strongest breadth since November.

📊 Economic Data

• MBA Mortgage Applications: +3.8% vs. prior +2.3% — lower rates drove a rebound in refinancing activity.

• Pending Home Sales (July): +0.6% m/m vs. est. +0.3% (prior +0.2%) — housing demand remains resilient despite affordability pressures.

• Wholesale Inventories (July prelim): -0.2% vs. est. +0.1% — leaner inventories signal companies are managing stockpiles cautiously ahead of Q3. Goods Trade Balance (July): -$89.3B vs. est. -87.6B (prior -88.2B) — exports slowed slightly, driven by softer demand from Asia.

• Retail Inventories ex-Autos (July): +0.5% vs. prior +0.4% — continued build in consumer goods ahead of holiday season.

• Fed Balance Sheet: assets fell $18.7B w/w to $7.07T — QT still ongoing, draining liquidity at a steady pace.

🔩 Autos

• F Ford recalling 355K+ trucks in the U.S. (F-150, F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD) due to instrument panel display issues, per NHTSA.

• POAHY Porsche begins CEO succession search, Reuters reports.

Trade update: EU fast-tracking removal of U.S. industrial goods tariffs after framework reached; U.S. President requests auto tariff cuts before lowering U.S. duties on EU exports.

🛒 Retail, Consumer Staples & Restaurants

• GOOS shares jumped after Bain Capital received bids to take the luxury maker private at $1.4B valuation.

• PVH up after Q2 adj EPS $2.52 vs. est. $2.00, driven by +11% Americas sales; raised FY outlook slightly.

• AEO rallied on partnership with Travis Kelce (NFL), boosting brand traction.

• ANF reported Q2 EPS $2.32 on sales $1.21B vs. est. $2.30/$1.2B; raised FY25 net sales growth outlook to +5%-7% (prev. +3%-6%); Hollister beat, Abercrombie missed.

• KSS raised FY25 EPS outlook to $0.50–$0.80 (prev. $0.10–$0.60); narrows FY revenue decline to -5% to -6%; Q2 beat drove gains.

• AS upgraded to Buy from Hold at HSBC, tgt raised to $50 on improving fundamentals.

• CBRL rose after scrapping controversial rebrand, sticking with classic logo following backlash.

• DNUT downgraded to Underweight at JPM on visibility concerns around turnaround plan.

• SJM slipped after Q1 EPS $1.90 missed est. $1.93; Q1 sales fell on weak coffee, dog snacks, and spreads; raised FY26 sales outlook.

🎰 Leisure, Gaming & Lodging

MCFT MasterCraft beat Q4 estimates with EPS $0.40 vs. est. $0.18 and sales $79.5M vs. est. $70.5M; FY26 EPS midpoint $1.28 beats $1.18 consensus; Q1 EPS guide softer than Street.

⚡ Energy, Industrials & Materials

• XOM rose after CEO said U.S. natural gas production cuts likely “temporary” and sees demand recovery into year-end.

• CVX gained after analysts at Bernstein reiterated Outperform, tgt $203, citing refining margins stabilizing.

• HAL up as U.S. rig counts ticked higher for a third straight week.

• LIN hit record highs after Q2 EPS $3.94 vs. est. $3.81; raised FY EPS guide to $15.55–$15.95 vs. prior $15.10–$15.50.

• FMC sank after revising FY EPS down to $5.10–$5.40 vs. $5.90 est., citing slower demand recovery in LatAm.

🏦 Banks & 💳 FinTech

• GS advanced on plans to sell its fintech unit GreenSky; reports suggest Apollo and Sixth Street among potential bidders.

• JPM rose after CEO Jamie Dimon said loan growth continues at “solid clip” despite higher delinquency rates.

• BAC fell on news Fed’s new capital buffer proposal could cut earnings -5% starting FY26.

• PYPL up on chatter Elliott Management building fresh activist stake; analysts lifted tgt to $78 from $70.

🏥 Healthcare

• PFE beat Q2 estimates: EPS $0.92 vs. est. $0.74, sales $12.5B vs. est. $11.7B; reaffirmed FY EPS midpoint $2.30; COVID franchise decline offset by oncology growth.

• LLY slid -2.1% despite FDA clearance on diabetes drug pricing framework; market reaction tied to pricing pressure concerns.

• UNH firm after CMS proposed rate hikes for Medicare Advantage plans +3.7% FY26 vs. est. +3.2%.

🧪 Biotech & Life Sciences

• BIIB jumped after FDA granted accelerated approval for its Alzheimer's drug Leqembi; analysts see potential $3.5B annual sales by FY28.

• VRTX gained on positive Phase 2 results for non-opioid pain therapy; data showed +55% efficacy vs placebo, analysts upgraded tgt to $550.

• REGN slid after Q2 sales $3.29B missed est. $3.45B due to softer Eylea demand.

• CRSP rose +3.4% after Swiss regulators cleared Phase 3 trials for its sickle cell therapy.

🚂 Transports

• UPS rose after reaffirming FY25 revenue guidance $100B vs. consensus $98.7B; strong international demand offsets domestic softness.

• FDX gained on Jefferies upgrade to Buy, tgt $325 from $285, citing cost-cutting execution and positive freight pricing.

• DAL slipped after July domestic load factors fell to 82.5% vs. 84.1% prior; analysts expect Q3 yield pressure.

🚁 Aerospace & Defense

• BA climbed after CEO announced production restart for 737 MAX 10 earlier than expected; RBC raised tgt to $270.

• LMT slipped on slower F-35 deliveries in Q2 (**21 jets vs. 25 est.**) but kept FY guide intact.

• NOC rose after Pentagon confirmed $1.1B missile defense contract; deliveries begin FY26.

• RTX fell after Q2 EPS $1.13 missed est. $1.16, cutting FY free cash flow outlook to $4.3B from $4.7B.

📰 Internet, Media & Telecom

• GOOGL slipped after EU regulators expanded antitrust probe into Google Ads, potentially imposing fines up to 10% of global revenue.

• NFLX rallied after Morgan Stanley raised tgt to $820 from $780 on better-than-expected subscriber growth trends.

• META gained as analysts highlighted improved engagement metrics on Threads and WhatsApp monetization plans.

• DIS edged up after UBS upgraded to Buy, tgt $115, citing cost restructuring and strong Disney+ churn moderation.

🛋️ Towers

• AMT fell after Evercore cut tgt to $178 from $195, citing slower 5G site deployments in North America.

• CCI rose +2.1% after RBC reiterated Outperform, tgt $140, highlighting early India monetization tailwinds.

• SBAC traded flat despite stronger Q2 AFFO growth +7% YoY; analysts expect Q3 tenancy drag.

🔌 Semiconductors, Hardware & Software

• NVDA gained ahead of earnings, implied move ±9%; options pricing signals historic volatility.

• AMD slipped after Raymond James downgraded to Mkt Perform from Outperform, citing softer MI300X data center sales near term.

• TSM rose after August export orders topped expectations (**+12% YoY**), driven by AI chip demand.

• MDB rallied +6.2% post-earnings beat: Q2 EPS $0.49 vs. est. $0.37, rev $525M vs. est. $505M; raised FY guide to $2.12B rev midpoint.

• CRM advanced on Citi upgrade to Buy, tgt $325, on strength in subscription renewals.

• NCNO up after quarterly beat: EPS $0.19 vs. est. $0.11, rev $140M vs. $133M est.

🧠 What’s Next?

All eyes remain on tonight’s NVDA earnings — implied volatility suggests one of the biggest single-day moves of the year. Analysts expect data center rev to exceed $24B, with AI spending accelerating into FY26.

Tomorrow, focus shifts to CRWD, HPQ, PSTG, VEEV earnings, plus the Q2 GDP report.

Friday brings Core PCE inflation — the Fed’s preferred gauge — where consensus sees +0.2% MoM; a hotter print could reignite rate hike bets into September.

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But none of this news really matters to MaxDividends members. We're focused on growing the cash flow that lands in your pocket every month—not stressing over price swings or stock market noise.

At MaxDividends, we focus on a dividend growth strategy, perfect for investors seeking capital appreciation, solid safety, and a steadily growing income.

A rising dividend is a strong sign that a company is thriving—and wants its shareholders to thrive with it.

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This week, we’ve rolled out a fresh batch of ready-to-go Stock Sets 💪.

Easy Peasy #55: Pre-Selected Dividend Growth Stock Sets