Consumer Defensive Sector

Consumer Defensive (also called Consumer Staples) companies sell everyday necessities: food, drinks, household goods and groceries. Demand stays fairly steady in good times and bad, so the sector is usually less volatile.

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Tracked stocks avg
+0.20%
XLP (sector ETF)
$80.53
XLP today
+0.25%
Stocks tracked
5

Consumer Defensive stocks we track

SymbolNamePriceChange% ChgVolumeTrend
WMTWalmart Inc.$104.260.000.00%—
COSTCostco Wholesale$920.65+5.71+0.62%—
PGProcter & Gamble$144.91+0.96+0.67%—
KOCoca-Cola Co.$85.65-0.45-0.52%—
PEPPepsiCo Inc.$125.89+0.29+0.23%—

These are the consumer defensive companies in our tracked list, not every company in the sector. The sector ETF is XLP (Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR). Data may be delayed.

What it covers

  • Packaged food and beverages
  • Household and personal products
  • Grocery and big-box retail
  • Tobacco

What drives it

  • Steady demand for essentials
  • Input costs such as commodities and freight
  • Pricing power and brand loyalty
  • Competition from store brands

What to watch

  • Volume versus price growth
  • Profit margins
  • Dividend growth and payout ratio
  • Market share

Main risks

  • May lag in strong rallies
  • Rising input costs squeeze margins
  • Shifts in consumer habits and health trends

Learn more

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Other sectors: Technology · Communication · Consumer Cyclical · Financials · Healthcare · Energy · Industrials · Utilities · Materials · Real Estate. Sector descriptions are general education, not investment advice.