Consumer Defensive Stocks
The consumer defensive sector includes companies that make or sell essential goods such as food, beverages, household products and personal care items. Demand for these products tends to stay stable regardless of economic conditions, because consumers keep buying necessities even when they cut back on discretionary spending.
Consumer Defensive sector at a glance
List of consumer defensive stocks by market cap
US-listed consumer defensive stocks on the NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSE American and Cboe, ranked by market capitalization. End-of-day data from EODHD. Click a column heading to sort or an industry to filter.
About the consumer defensive sector
Also known as consumer staples, the sector includes packaged-food and beverage makers, household and personal-products companies, tobacco companies, discount stores and warehouse clubs, grocery chains and food distributors.
Steady demand gives many of these companies predictable cash flow and long records of paying and raising dividends. Investors often move into the sector when they expect slower growth, which is why it is called defensive; in strong bull markets it usually lags more cyclical sectors.
What moves consumer defensive stocks:
- Input costs such as grains, sugar, packaging and freight
- Pricing power versus private-label competition
- Consumer trading down to cheaper brands
- Interest rates (dividend stocks compete with bond yields)
- Currency moves for global brands
Main industries: Discount Stores, Household & Personal Products, Beverages - Non-Alcoholic, Packaged Foods, Tobacco, Beverages - Brewers, Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries, Confectioners, Grocery Stores, Food Distribution, Farm Products.
A common way to track the whole sector is the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP), which holds the S&P 500's companies in this sector.
Consumer Defensive stocks FAQ
What are consumer defensive stocks?
The consumer defensive sector includes companies that make or sell essential goods such as food, beverages, household products and personal care items. Demand for these products tends to stay stable regardless of economic conditions, because consumers keep buying necessities even when they cut back on discretionary spending.
What industries are in the Consumer Defensive sector?
The main industries in the Consumer Defensive sector include Discount Stores, Household & Personal Products, Beverages - Non-Alcoholic, Packaged Foods, Tobacco, Beverages - Brewers, Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries, Confectioners, Grocery Stores, Food Distribution and Farm Products.
Which stocks are included in this list?
The list shows up to 100 of the largest consumer defensive companies by market capitalization whose shares trade on the NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSE American or Cboe exchanges, including foreign companies with US listings. Over-the-counter stocks are not included. Sector and industry classifications come from EODHD.
Is there an ETF that tracks the Consumer Defensive sector?
The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) is a widely followed fund for this sector. It tracks S&P 500 members using the GICS classification, so its holdings differ somewhat from this list.
How often is the data updated?
Prices, daily and 5-day changes, market capitalization and volume are end-of-day data from EODHD, updated after each trading session. Click a symbol for the stock's delayed quote, chart and news.