Investors Eye 4.2% Dividend Staples and Healthcare Stocks as Bear-Market Shelter

3 articles · Updated · Mcalester News Capital · Aug 23

Healthcare and consumer staples shares are being pitched as downturn holdings because demand for medicine, food and beverages tends to hold up even when broader markets sell off.
The advice still centers on buy-and-hold discipline: the S&P 500 has recovered from past bear markets, and low-cost broad exposure remains an option through Vanguard's S&P 500 ETF, which charges a 0.03% expense ratio.
Among Dividend Kings, PepsiCo and Becton, Dickinson look cheaper now — PepsiCo yields 4.2% versus a 3.1% five-year average, while Becton yields 2.3% versus about 1.7%.
Johnson & Johnson and Coca-Cola appear pricier by that measure, with yields near 2% and 2.4%, below their five-year averages, but both are presented as steadier businesses for investors prioritizing resilience.
The broader message is not that these stocks avoid losses in a selloff, but that reliable dividends from necessity-driven sectors can make it easier to stay invested through the next bear market.