5 Consumer Staples Stocks to Hide Out In Right Now

The stock market’s tumble into 2018’s end has turned investors’ attention toward the more defensive market sectors.

Close-up detail of a man shopping in a supermarket
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The stock market’s tumble into 2018’s end has turned investors’ attention toward the more defensive market sectors. If consumer staples stocks come to mind, they should. Investors tend to pile into these types of companies – that sell must-have items such as canned goods, toothpaste and toilet paper – for their relative safety in economic slowdowns (and often, dividends).

But you must be selective, even in these supposedly safe stocks. Wall Street’s pros actually look down on a few consumer staples mainstays. For example, TipRanks shows that one of the most popular consumer staples stocks, Colgate-Palmolive (CL), currently has a “Hold” rating from top analysts – a community that typically leans toward the buy side. No wonder, then, that Kiplinger lists it among five stocks to sell for 2019.

Here are five of the best consumer staples stocks to hide out in at the moment. Using TipRanks’ stock screener, we pinpointed stocks with a “Strong Buy” analyst consensus. This is based on all the ratings from the past three months. Crucially, of course, all the following stocks also sport strong upside potential. Let’s take a look.

Disclaimer

Data is as of Dec. 20, 2018.

Harriet Lefton
Contributing Writer, Kiplinger.com
Harriet Lefton, originally from the U.K., began her career as a journalist specializing in the niche world of metal markets. She graduated from the University of Cambridge before becoming a qualified U.K. lawyer. Now she has turned her attention to the world of financial blogging, covering U.S. stocks, analysts and all manner of things finance-related.