The article recommends Coca-Cola and Realty Income as reliable dividend stocks suitable for long-term buy-and-hold investors seeking passive income. Coca-Cola is praised for its dominant brand, inflation resistance, and 63-year dividend increase streak with a 2.63% yield. Realty Income, a REIT, offers a higher 4.86% yield through a diversified portfolio of single-tenant commercial properties leased to major retailers, with 32 consecutive years of dividend increases.

Walmart will pay $100 million to settle FTC and state allegations that it misled delivery drivers about compensation through its Spark Delivery network and falsely claimed 100% of tips would go to drivers. The settlement comes as Walmart announced above-target bonuses for corporate staff, contrasting with the company's treatment of gig workers.

Mortgage rates have fallen to 6.09%, the lowest since September 2022, making homes significantly more affordable. This 80 basis point drop from a year ago could benefit mortgage companies, home improvement retailers, and real estate platforms through increased refinancing activity and home purchases.

Salvation Army has relocated from Gordon Plaza to a new 19,000 square foot space at Woodbridge Shopping Center in Virginia, positioned at the corner of Route 1 and Occoquan Road. The move follows Gordon Plaza's closure for redevelopment and allows Salvation Army to maintain its presence in the Woodbridge corridor with improved visibility and traffic. The shopping center is co-anchored by CVS and Dixie Bones.

Home Depot is set to report Q4 earnings on Tuesday with prediction markets showing 86% confidence in an earnings beat despite analyst consensus expecting revenue and earnings to decline. The company has faced headwinds from a weak housing market, elevated mortgage rates, and consumer spending pressures, though recent Supreme Court tariff blocking and winter storms may provide some support.

Walmart will pay U.S. corporate employees 121% of their eligible bonuses, exceeding the 100% target for the third consecutive year. The retail giant reported strong Q4 results with earnings beating estimates and revenue growth of 5.6% Y/Y, driven by 27% e-commerce growth and 37% advertising revenue increase. However, Walmart issued a weaker-than-expected fiscal 2027 outlook, projecting adjusted earnings and revenue below analyst estimates.

The Supreme Court ruled that President Trump lacks legal authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, providing relief to major retailers Nike, Target, and Home Depot that have been heavily impacted by tariff-related margin pressures. While the three stocks showed modest gains on the news, all three companies face underlying business challenges beyond tariffs, including declining sales, market share losses, and margin compression.

While acknowledging Costco's operational excellence and international success, the author argues against buying its stock due to an extremely high P/E ratio of 54 compared to competitors like Walmart (45) and Amazon (28). With only moderate double-digit profit growth and a historical pattern of maintaining premium valuations, the author believes new investors should seek better value elsewhere, though long-term shareholders should hold.

Amazon and Home Depot are compared as investment options. Amazon is investing $200 billion in AI data center infrastructure to strengthen its AWS cloud services position amid intense competition, while Home Depot struggles with a frozen housing market that has reduced home improvement demand. The author favors Amazon as the better near-term investment due to its AI growth potential and attractive valuation, while recommending caution on Home Depot until housing market conditions improve.

Yeti Holdings stock dropped 12.2% following earnings despite strong sales momentum and positive 2026 guidance. The decline was primarily driven by profit-taking after a 40% gain over six months, along with investor concerns about a CFO transition. The company reported 5% adjusted net sales growth in Q4 with strong international performance and expects 6-8% sales growth in 2026.

The Motley Fool argues that Shiba Inu, despite a 97,000% five-year gain, is unlikely to set investors up for life. The article cites three main reasons: lack of real-world utility beyond speculation, weakening community support (trading 93% below its 2021 peak), and better alternative investment opportunities in safer cryptocurrencies and equities.

The article recommends Coca-Cola and Lowe's as two dividend stocks suitable for long-term passive income investors. Coca-Cola has a 64-year streak of consecutive dividend increases with a 2.59% yield and 46% dividend growth over the past decade. Lowe's offers a 1.67% yield but has increased its quarterly dividend by 329% over the past decade with over 25 years of consecutive hikes. Both are mature, stable companies with strong competitive advantages, though they are unlikely to outperform the broader market.