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3 Blue-Chip Retail Stocks Charting Your Course of Investment
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Navigating the stock market is a bit like walking on a tightrope for investors. The temptation of making quick profits is always there, but it's equally important to have a solid foundation of stable, long-term investments. Finding the right balance between these two aspects is vital for successful investing.
Instead of going after stocks that promise big rewards but come with high risks, investors are better off carefully studying the market and creating a well-thought-out investment strategy. It’s wise to concentrate on companies that have a history of success, with a proven ability to handle tough economic times.
Hence, when it comes to long-term stability and consistent growth, market pundits place their bets on highly reputed companies with humongous market capitalization. These big players are called blue-chip companies. Blue-chip stocks are strong financially and have a history of giving solid returns to their investors.
Blue-chip companies tend to be less vulnerable to sudden fluctuations in stock prices, rendering them a dependable choice for both seasoned and novice investors. Furthermore, for income-oriented investors, blue-chip companies reward shareholders with regular dividend payouts, further enhancing stability.
These blue-chip companies possess a winning combination of established market positions, strong brand recognition, loyal customer bases and extensive market penetration. Such traits provide these companies with a distinct competitive edge and help unlock new opportunities, thus making them investor favorite.
By investing in blue-chip stocks, investors can build a well-diversified portfolio. Here, we have identified three stocks from the Retail - Wholesale sector — Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) , The Home Depot, Inc. (HD - Free Report) and Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST - Free Report) . Thanks to successful business operations, these stalwarts have withstood multiple market gyrations and delivered returns to investors. These blue-chip stocks have balance sheet strength to tackle any untoward market volatility.
Past-Year Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
3 Prominent Picks
Walmart: Walmart, the omnichannel retail giant, has been diligently working to further strengthen its already formidable presence in the market. The company has embarked on a series of strategic e-commerce initiatives, encompassing acquisitions, partnerships and significant improvements in its delivery and payment systems. Simultaneously, Walmart is committed to elevating its merchandise offerings, ensuring a diverse and appealing product assortment. Innovation extends to its supply chain, where the company is enhancing capacity and introducing cutting-edge solutions.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Walmart’s current financial-year sales and earnings suggests growth of 5.4% and 2.4%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers. The company pays out a quarterly dividend of 57 cents ($2.28 annualized) per share, giving a 1.5% yield at the current stock price. WMT’s payout ratio is 35, with a five-year dividend growth rate of 1.9%. (Check WMT’s dividend history here)
Home Depot: Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, this company stands as another distinguished blue-chip stock, dominating the home improvement retail sector. Its consistent expansion in both Professional and Do-It-Yourself segments, fortified by an extensive product lineup and digital innovations, underpins its remarkable success. The company's interconnected retail strategy and robust technological infrastructure have amplified web traffic, leading to growth in digital sales.
Home Depot has a market cap of $309.4 billion. This Zacks Rank #3 stock has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.8%, on average. The company pays out a quarterly dividend of $2.09 ($8.36 annualized) per share, giving a 2.7% yield at the current stock price. HD’s payout ratio is 54, with a five-year dividend growth rate of 13.8%.
Costco: A consumer defensive stock, Costco has been surviving the market turmoil pretty well. Strategic investments, a customer-centric approach, merchandise initiatives and an emphasis on memberships have been the discount retailer’s primary strengths. Costco's distinctive membership business model and pricing power set it apart from traditional players. Through a calculated approach that involves identifying untapped markets and tailoring offerings to meet customer preferences, Costco has managed to deepen its roots.
Costco has a market cap of $263.4 billion. This Zacks Rank #3 stock has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.1%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco’s current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 4.2% and 7%, respectively, from the year-ago period. The company pays out a quarterly dividend of $1.02 ($4.08 annualized) per share, giving a 0.7% yield at the current stock price. COST’s payout ratio is 28, with a five-year dividend growth rate of 12.3%.
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3 Blue-Chip Retail Stocks Charting Your Course of Investment
Navigating the stock market is a bit like walking on a tightrope for investors. The temptation of making quick profits is always there, but it's equally important to have a solid foundation of stable, long-term investments. Finding the right balance between these two aspects is vital for successful investing.
Instead of going after stocks that promise big rewards but come with high risks, investors are better off carefully studying the market and creating a well-thought-out investment strategy. It’s wise to concentrate on companies that have a history of success, with a proven ability to handle tough economic times.
Hence, when it comes to long-term stability and consistent growth, market pundits place their bets on highly reputed companies with humongous market capitalization. These big players are called blue-chip companies. Blue-chip stocks are strong financially and have a history of giving solid returns to their investors.
Blue-chip companies tend to be less vulnerable to sudden fluctuations in stock prices, rendering them a dependable choice for both seasoned and novice investors. Furthermore, for income-oriented investors, blue-chip companies reward shareholders with regular dividend payouts, further enhancing stability.
These blue-chip companies possess a winning combination of established market positions, strong brand recognition, loyal customer bases and extensive market penetration. Such traits provide these companies with a distinct competitive edge and help unlock new opportunities, thus making them investor favorite.
By investing in blue-chip stocks, investors can build a well-diversified portfolio. Here, we have identified three stocks from the Retail - Wholesale sector — Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) , The Home Depot, Inc. (HD - Free Report) and Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST - Free Report) . Thanks to successful business operations, these stalwarts have withstood multiple market gyrations and delivered returns to investors. These blue-chip stocks have balance sheet strength to tackle any untoward market volatility.
Past-Year Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
3 Prominent Picks
Walmart: Walmart, the omnichannel retail giant, has been diligently working to further strengthen its already formidable presence in the market. The company has embarked on a series of strategic e-commerce initiatives, encompassing acquisitions, partnerships and significant improvements in its delivery and payment systems. Simultaneously, Walmart is committed to elevating its merchandise offerings, ensuring a diverse and appealing product assortment. Innovation extends to its supply chain, where the company is enhancing capacity and introducing cutting-edge solutions.
Walmart has a market cap of $422 billion as of Nov 27, 2023. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.2%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Walmart’s current financial-year sales and earnings suggests growth of 5.4% and 2.4%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers. The company pays out a quarterly dividend of 57 cents ($2.28 annualized) per share, giving a 1.5% yield at the current stock price. WMT’s payout ratio is 35, with a five-year dividend growth rate of 1.9%. (Check WMT’s dividend history here)
Home Depot: Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, this company stands as another distinguished blue-chip stock, dominating the home improvement retail sector. Its consistent expansion in both Professional and Do-It-Yourself segments, fortified by an extensive product lineup and digital innovations, underpins its remarkable success. The company's interconnected retail strategy and robust technological infrastructure have amplified web traffic, leading to growth in digital sales.
Home Depot has a market cap of $309.4 billion. This Zacks Rank #3 stock has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.8%, on average. The company pays out a quarterly dividend of $2.09 ($8.36 annualized) per share, giving a 2.7% yield at the current stock price. HD’s payout ratio is 54, with a five-year dividend growth rate of 13.8%.
Costco: A consumer defensive stock, Costco has been surviving the market turmoil pretty well. Strategic investments, a customer-centric approach, merchandise initiatives and an emphasis on memberships have been the discount retailer’s primary strengths. Costco's distinctive membership business model and pricing power set it apart from traditional players. Through a calculated approach that involves identifying untapped markets and tailoring offerings to meet customer preferences, Costco has managed to deepen its roots.
Costco has a market cap of $263.4 billion. This Zacks Rank #3 stock has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.1%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco’s current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 4.2% and 7%, respectively, from the year-ago period. The company pays out a quarterly dividend of $1.02 ($4.08 annualized) per share, giving a 0.7% yield at the current stock price. COST’s payout ratio is 28, with a five-year dividend growth rate of 12.3%.