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Buy 5 Stocks to Stay Safe as Volatility Reappears on Wall Street
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Key Takeaways
SLF and MET offer diversified businesses, earnings growth and dividends amid renewed market volatility.
KO combines global scale, innovation and productivity gains, with a 0.32 beta and 2.26% dividend yield.
MO and KDP offer growth drivers, while MO delivers a 5.91% dividend yield.
Volatility appeared on Wall Street in the first half of October after a better-than-expected September. Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have plummeted on concerns that massive funding for AI expenditure may not be sustainable.
Moreover, crude oil prices remain sharply elevated due to lingering geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East. Inflation metrics for September remained alarming. Wholesale inflation witnessed its highest gain since 2022 and consumer inflation remained significantly above the Fed’s 2% target level.
Additionally, the U.S. federal debt reached nearly $2 trillion, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-Year Treasury Note refused to fall below 5% and the Fed may hike interest rates by another 25 basis points this year.
The chart below shows the price performance of our five picks year to date.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Sun Life Financial Inc.
Sun Life Financial continues to deepen its presence across fast-growing Asian markets through agency, bancassurance and joint-venture channels. SLF continues to shift toward capital-light businesses that can generate more predictable earnings and reduce exposure to market-driven volatility.
SLF is emphasizing asset management, wealth, group health and benefits alongside protection businesses. SLF continues to scale its asset management platform across public markets, alternatives, private credit and Asian wealth.
Sun Life Financial has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 11.5% and 8.3%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.5% over the past 30 days. SLF has a beta of 0.89 and a current dividend yield of 3.45%.
The Coca-Cola Co.
Coca-Cola’s growth story is supported by its broad portfolio, global scale and disciplined execution. These strengths drive resilient growth, share gains and margin expansion. Innovation is central to KO, with products, new formats and campaigns expanding consumption occasions and reinforcing brand relevance.
KO’s digital tools, advanced analytics and AI are improving forecasting, pricing, customer engagement and bottling-system execution, supporting productivity and organic growth. KO raised its 2026 outlook, reflecting confidence in the company’s resilient model, operating leverage and long-term earnings potential.
Coca-Cola has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 4% and 10%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 0.3% over the past seven days. KO has a beta of 0.32 and a current dividend yield of 2.26%.
Altria Group Inc.
Altria Group continues to benefit from strong pricing execution, expanding on! PLUS distribution and disciplined cost management, helping offset cigarette volume declines and preserve earnings resilience.
Smokeable pricing, margin expansion and strong free cash flow reinforce MO’s financial strength. MO’s growing nicotine pouch platform, broader smoke-free investments and shareholder-return strategy, including dividends and buybacks, further support growth.
Altria Group has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 2.1% and 4.6%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has remained the same over the past 60 days. MO has a beta of 0.42 and a current dividend yield of 5.91%.
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.
Keurig Dr Pepper’s growth outlook remains encouraging led by broad-based momentum across key businesses and strategic initiatives. U.S. Refreshment Beverages continues to deliver strong sales and margin gains, while the JDE Peet’s acquisition expands KDP’s global coffee scale, brand reach and synergy opportunities.
KDP’s International operations are also contributing to healthy growth across beverages and coffee. KDP is advancing integration and separation efforts, investing in innovation and brand building and strengthening its portfolio across faster-growing categories.
Keurig Dr Pepper has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 58.6% and 12.2%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.4% over the past 60 days. KDP has a beta of 0.40 and a current dividend yield of 2.66%.
MetLife Inc.
MetLife benefits from its diversified product portfolio, strong corporate relationships and global footprint, which support steady business volumes and premium growth. MET’s total premiums increased 4.5% year over year in the first half of 2026.
The PineBridge Investments acquisition, the Chariot Re partnership with General Atlantic and ongoing investments in technology and automation are enhancing MET’s growth prospects, operational efficiency and asset management capabilities. MET’s strong liquidity position, coupled with consistent share repurchases and dividend payments, further supports shareholder value.
MetLife has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 0.8% and 12.5%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.5% over the past seven days. MET has a beta of 0.78 and a current dividend yield of 2.35%.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
Buy 5 Stocks to Stay Safe as Volatility Reappears on Wall Street
Key Takeaways
Volatility appeared on Wall Street in the first half of October after a better-than-expected September. Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have plummeted on concerns that massive funding for AI expenditure may not be sustainable.
Moreover, crude oil prices remain sharply elevated due to lingering geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East. Inflation metrics for September remained alarming. Wholesale inflation witnessed its highest gain since 2022 and consumer inflation remained significantly above the Fed’s 2% target level.
Additionally, the U.S. federal debt reached nearly $2 trillion, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-Year Treasury Note refused to fall below 5% and the Fed may hike interest rates by another 25 basis points this year.
At this stage, it should be prudent to invest in low-beta (beta >0<1) high-yielding stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank for the rest of 2026. Five such stocks are: Sun Life Financial Inc. (SLF - Free Report) , The Coca-Cola Co. (KO - Free Report) , Altria Group Inc. (MO - Free Report) , Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (KDP - Free Report) and MetLife Inc. (MET - Free Report) . Each of our picks currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #2 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.
The chart below shows the price performance of our five picks year to date.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Sun Life Financial Inc.
Sun Life Financial continues to deepen its presence across fast-growing Asian markets through agency, bancassurance and joint-venture channels. SLF continues to shift toward capital-light businesses that can generate more predictable earnings and reduce exposure to market-driven volatility.
SLF is emphasizing asset management, wealth, group health and benefits alongside protection businesses. SLF continues to scale its asset management platform across public markets, alternatives, private credit and Asian wealth.
Sun Life Financial has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 11.5% and 8.3%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.5% over the past 30 days. SLF has a beta of 0.89 and a current dividend yield of 3.45%.
The Coca-Cola Co.
Coca-Cola’s growth story is supported by its broad portfolio, global scale and disciplined execution. These strengths drive resilient growth, share gains and margin expansion. Innovation is central to KO, with products, new formats and campaigns expanding consumption occasions and reinforcing brand relevance.
KO’s digital tools, advanced analytics and AI are improving forecasting, pricing, customer engagement and bottling-system execution, supporting productivity and organic growth. KO raised its 2026 outlook, reflecting confidence in the company’s resilient model, operating leverage and long-term earnings potential.
Coca-Cola has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 4% and 10%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current-year earnings has improved 0.3% over the past seven days. KO has a beta of 0.32 and a current dividend yield of 2.26%.
Altria Group Inc.
Altria Group continues to benefit from strong pricing execution, expanding on! PLUS distribution and disciplined cost management, helping offset cigarette volume declines and preserve earnings resilience.
Smokeable pricing, margin expansion and strong free cash flow reinforce MO’s financial strength. MO’s growing nicotine pouch platform, broader smoke-free investments and shareholder-return strategy, including dividends and buybacks, further support growth.
Altria Group has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 2.1% and 4.6%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has remained the same over the past 60 days. MO has a beta of 0.42 and a current dividend yield of 5.91%.
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.
Keurig Dr Pepper’s growth outlook remains encouraging led by broad-based momentum across key businesses and strategic initiatives. U.S. Refreshment Beverages continues to deliver strong sales and margin gains, while the JDE Peet’s acquisition expands KDP’s global coffee scale, brand reach and synergy opportunities.
KDP’s International operations are also contributing to healthy growth across beverages and coffee. KDP is advancing integration and separation efforts, investing in innovation and brand building and strengthening its portfolio across faster-growing categories.
Keurig Dr Pepper has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 58.6% and 12.2%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.4% over the past 60 days. KDP has a beta of 0.40 and a current dividend yield of 2.66%.
MetLife Inc.
MetLife benefits from its diversified product portfolio, strong corporate relationships and global footprint, which support steady business volumes and premium growth. MET’s total premiums increased 4.5% year over year in the first half of 2026.
The PineBridge Investments acquisition, the Chariot Re partnership with General Atlantic and ongoing investments in technology and automation are enhancing MET’s growth prospects, operational efficiency and asset management capabilities. MET’s strong liquidity position, coupled with consistent share repurchases and dividend payments, further supports shareholder value.
MetLife has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 0.8% and 12.5%, respectively, for this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.5% over the past seven days. MET has a beta of 0.78 and a current dividend yield of 2.35%.