Safe Stocks

50 stocks · Updated May 8, 2026

Safe stocks combine multiple characteristics associated with capital preservation: low market volatility (beta below 0.8), large market cap (above $20B) providing business scale and resilience, dividend payments indicating profitable cash flow, and reasonable valuations. This screen is not about finding the highest returns but the most predictable — companies unlikely to surprise shareholders with dramatic downturns. Conservative investors, those near retirement, and capital preservation mandates are the primary audience.

#	Stock	Symbol	Company	Price	Beta	Div Yield	P/E	Market Cap	Sector
1	XOMExxon Mobil Corporation	XOM	Exxon Mobil Corporation	$144.25	0.18	2.72%	24.33	$617.50B	Energy
2	VVisa Inc.	V	Visa Inc.	$318.87	0.78	0.84%	27.78	$611.08B	Financial Services
3	JNJJohnson & Johnson	JNJ	Johnson & Johnson	$221.51	0.26	2.31%	25.61	$540.71B	Healthcare
4	MAMastercard Incorporated	MA	Mastercard Incorporated	$497.12	0.76	0.66%	28.77	$435.43B	Financial Services
5	PGThe Procter & Gamble Company	PG	The Procter & Gamble Company	$146.73	0.40	2.88%	21.45	$344.47B	Consumer Defensive
6	KOThe Coca-Cola Company	KO	The Coca-Cola Company	$78.43	0.36	2.60%	24.66	$341.02B	Consumer Defensive
7	UNHUnitedHealth Group Incorporated	UNH	UnitedHealth Group Incorporated	$378.22	0.65	2.41%	28.56	$333.37B	Healthcare
8	NVSNovartis AG	NVS	Novartis AG	$146.16	0.50	2.01%	19.86	$314.69B	Healthcare
9	BABAAlibaba Group Holding Limited	BABA	Alibaba Group Holding Limited	$140.17	0.43	1.49%	22.67	$307.65B	Consumer Cyclical
10	HSBCHSBC Holdings plc	HSBC	HSBC Holdings plc	$90.17	0.47	1.74%	13.77	$293.66B	Financial Services
11	AZNAstraZeneca PLC	AZN	AstraZeneca PLC	$182.78	0.22	1.73%	16.16	$286.68B	Healthcare
12	TMToyota Motor Corporation	TM	Toyota Motor Corporation	$187.44	0.20	2.56%	10.98	$286.12B	Consumer Cyclical
13	PMPhilip Morris International Inc.	PM	Philip Morris International Inc.	$170.50	0.45	3.38%	23.98	$265.78B	Consumer Defensive
14	SHELShell plc	SHEL	Shell plc	$83.95	-0.07	3.38%	14.29	$245.65B	Energy
15	SAPSAP SE	SAP	SAP SE	$173.15	0.69	1.48%	23.15	$233.16B	Technology
16	PEPPepsiCo, Inc.	PEP	PepsiCo, Inc.	$155.13	0.39	3.65%	24.35	$213.19B	Consumer Defensive
17	IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation	IBM	International Business Machines Corporation	$229.44	0.69	2.98%	20.29	$212.17B	Technology
18	TMUST-Mobile US, Inc.	TMUS	T-Mobile US, Inc.	$193.73	0.32	2.11%	20.61	$209.04B	Communication Services
19	MCDMcDonald's Corporation	MCD	McDonald's Corporation	$275.77	0.44	2.56%	22.73	$201.95B	Consumer Cyclical
20	TTETotalEnergies SE	TTE	TotalEnergies SE	$88.56	0.06	4.32%	13.18	$200.34B	Energy
21	VZVerizon Communications Inc.	VZ	Verizon Communications Inc.	$47.19	0.22	5.83%	11.51	$200.09B	Communication Services
22	NEENextEra Energy, Inc.	NEE	NextEra Energy, Inc.	$93.14	0.72	2.44%	23.70	$198.92B	Utilities
23	MUFGMitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.	MUFG	Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.	$17.98	0.16	2.31%	16.94	$195.87B	Financial Services
24	BHPBHP Group Limited	BHP	BHP Group Limited	$84.74	0.74	3.61%	19.53	$185.07B	Basic Materials
25	AMGNAmgen Inc.	AMGN	Amgen Inc.	$330.65	0.47	2.92%	23.01	$178.69B	Healthcare
26	NVONovo Nordisk A/S	NVO	Novo Nordisk A/S	$46.10	0.27	3.09%	11.50	$176.82B	Healthcare
27	GILDGilead Sciences, Inc.	GILD	Gilead Sciences, Inc.	$131.16	0.33	2.34%	17.87	$169.18B	Healthcare
28	SCHWThe Charles Schwab Corporation	SCHW	The Charles Schwab Corporation	$88.61	0.80	1.23%	17.58	$161.47B	Financial Services
29	HDBHDFC Bank Limited	HDB	HDFC Bank Limited	$25.05	0.36	3.70%	15.85	$152.44B	Financial Services
30	PFEPfizer Inc.	PFE	Pfizer Inc.	$25.70	0.30	6.49%	19.61	$150.77B	Healthcare
31	ABTAbbott Laboratories	ABT	Abbott Laboratories	$84.36	0.65	2.83%	23.50	$150.22B	Healthcare
32	RIORio Tinto Group	RIO	Rio Tinto Group	$105.22	0.65	4.42%	16.07	$146.88B	Basic Materials
33	ULUnilever PLC	UL	Unilever PLC	$58.40	0.26	3.49%	24.75	$145.10B	Consumer Defensive
34	COPConocoPhillips	COP	ConocoPhillips	$113.94	0.15	2.73%	19.38	$144.85B	Energy
35	BUDAnheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV	BUD	Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV	$80.02	0.73	1.60%	21.63	$142.88B	Consumer Defensive
36	BTIBritish American Tobacco p.l.c.	BTI	British American Tobacco p.l.c.	$58.27	0.07	5.25%	12.12	$126.84B	Consumer Defensive
37	CBChubb Limited	CB	Chubb Limited	$319.67	0.44	1.21%	11.26	$124.85B	Financial Services
38	NEMNewmont Corporation	NEM	Newmont Corporation	$116.77	0.45	0.88%	24.69	$122.88B	Basic Materials
39	LMTLockheed Martin Corporation	LMT	Lockheed Martin Corporation	$508.11	0.10	2.63%	24.61	$118.57B	Industrials
40	ENBEnbridge Inc.	ENB	Enbridge Inc.	$53.48	0.79	5.05%	16.61	$118.25B	Energy
41	MOAltria Group, Inc.	MO	Altria Group, Inc.	$68.26	0.52	5.99%	14.28	$117.18B	Consumer Defensive
42	BMYBristol-Myers Squibb Company	BMY	Bristol-Myers Squibb Company	$56.22	0.26	4.42%	15.79	$115.56B	Healthcare
43	GSKGSK plc	GSK	GSK plc	$50.38	0.32	3.17%	14.26	$111.31B	Healthcare
44	SOThe Southern Company	SO	The Southern Company	$92.04	0.36	3.17%	23.54	$105.41B	Utilities
45	CMECME Group Inc.	CME	CME Group Inc.	$282.15	0.30	1.80%	24.07	$104.48B	Financial Services
46	IBNICICI Bank Limited	IBN	ICICI Bank Limited	$26.55	0.18	0.92%	17.06	$100.20B	Financial Services
47	MFGMizuho Financial Group, Inc.	MFG	Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.	$8.70	0.20	2.12%	16.39	$100.17B	Financial Services
48	MDTMedtronic plc	MDT	Medtronic plc	$76.17	0.63	3.66%	21.22	$99.63B	Healthcare
49	DUKDuke Energy Corporation	DUK	Duke Energy Corporation	$124.37	0.40	3.38%	19.05	$97.70B	Utilities
50	AEMAgnico Eagle Mines Limited	AEM	Agnico Eagle Mines Limited	$193.36	0.70	0.87%	18.21	$95.09B	Basic Materials

Get Your Daily Market Recap

TickFlow Daily delivers the top gainers, losers, and signals to your inbox every day at market close. Free.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "safe" mean in the context of investing?

Safety in investing has multiple dimensions: capital safety (not losing principal), income safety (reliable dividends), and volatility safety (predictable price behavior). No stock is completely safe — even the strongest companies can face unexpected challenges.

Can safe stocks still generate good returns?

Absolutely — many low-beta, dividend-paying blue chips like Visa, Microsoft, and Johnson & Johnson have delivered outstanding long-term total returns while experiencing less volatility than the market. Safety and performance are not mutually exclusive.

How does diversification enhance safety?

Even safe individual stocks carry idiosyncratic risks. Owning 15-20 safe stocks across sectors reduces the impact of any single company's adverse event while maintaining the defensive characteristics of the overall portfolio.

What are the most common risks facing "safe" companies?

Regulatory changes (pharma, utilities), technology disruption (consumer staples facing private label), leverage from acquisitions, and fraud (Enron was widely considered safe) are the most common sources of adverse surprises in otherwise defensive companies.

Related Stock Lists

Blue Chip Stocks

Recession-Proof Stocks

Low Beta Stocks