Updated on January 31st, 2025 by Bob Ciura
Spreadsheet data updated daily
Blue-chip stocks are established, financially strong, and consistently profitable publicly traded companies.
Their strength makes them appealing investments for comparatively safe, reliable dividends and capital appreciation versus less established stocks.
This research report has the following resources to help you invest in blue chip stocks:
Resource #1: The Blue Chip Stocks Spreadsheet List
This list contains important metrics, including: dividend yields, payout ratios, dividend growth rates, 52-week highs and lows, betas, and more.
There are currently more than 500 securities in our blue chip stocks list.
We categorize blue chip stocks as companies that are members of 1 or more of the following 3 lists:
- Dividend Achievers (10+ years of rising dividends, in the NASDAQ)
- Dividend Aristocrats (25+ years of rising dividends, in the S&P 500)
- Dividend Kings (50+ years of rising dividends)
Resource #2: The 7 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Now
See the top 7 best blue-chip stock buys now using expected total returns from the Sure Analysis Research Database. We use the following criteria for our rankings:
- Dividend Risk Score of “C” or better
- Rank highest to lowest by expected total returns
Resource #3: Other Blue Chip Stock Research
Find more compelling blue chip stock research from Sure Dividend.
The 7 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Now
The 7 best blue chip stocks as ranked using data from the Sure Analysis Research Database (excluding REITs and MLPs) are analyzed in detail below.
We use the following criteria for our rankings:
- Dividend Risk Score of “C” or better
- Rank by expected total returns
The table of contents below allows for easy navigation.
- Blue-Chip Stock #7: PPG Industries (PPG)
- Blue-Chip Stock #6: Shoe Carnival, Inc. (SCVL)
- Blue-Chip Stock #5: Hyster Yale Inc. (HY)
- Blue-Chip Stock #4: Perrigo Company plc (PRGO)
- Blue-Chip Stock #3: SJW Group (SJW)
- Blue-Chip Stock #2: Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)
- Blue-Chip Stock #1: Eversource Energy (ES)
Blue-Chip Stock #7: PPG Industries (PPG)
- Dividend History: 53 years of consecutive increases
- Dividend Yield: 2.4%
- Expected Total Return: 16.9%
PPG Industries is the world’s largest paints and coatings company. Its only competitors of similar size are Sherwin-Williams and Dutch paint company Akzo Nobel.
On October 16th, 2024, PPG Industries reported third quarter results for the period ending September 30th, 2024. For the quarter, revenue fell 1.5% to $4.57 billion, which was $90 million less than expected.
The company generates annual revenue of about $18.2 billion.
Source: Investor Presentation
Adjusted net income of $500 million, or $2.13 per share, compared favorably to adjusted net income of $493 million, or $2.07 per share, in the prior year. Adjusted earnings-per-share was $0.02 below estimates.
Third quarter organic revenue growth was once again flat compared to the prior year. Performance Coatings revenue of $2.921 billion was up 1% from the same period of 2023.
Higher volumes (+2%) and selling prices (+1%) were partially offset by divestitures (-1%) and a headwind from foreign currency exchange (-1%).
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PPG (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Blue-Chip Stock #6: Shoe Carnival, Inc. (SCVL)
- Dividend History: 13 years of consecutive increases
- Dividend Yield: 1.9%
- Expected Total Return: 17.5%
Shoe Carnival, Inc. is a leading U.S.-based retailer specializing in family footwear and accessories. The company operates a large network of stores, offering a wide variety of athletic, casual, and dress shoes for men, women, and children.
With over 400 stores across the U.S. under the Shoe Carnival, Shoe Station, and Rogan’s Shoes brands, the company has steadily expanded its market presence.
In addition to its brick-and mortar locations, Shoe Carnival has a growing e-commerce platform, supporting its omnichannel strategy.
On November 21st, 2024, Shoe Carnival reported third quarter Fiscal 2024 results. The company reported GAAP EPS of $0.70 and Adjusted EPS of $0.71, meeting expectations.
While third-quarter net sales fell to $306.9 million from $319.9 million in 2023 due to a retail calendar shift, adjusted figures showed a 2.2% year-over-year increase.
Year-to-date, net sales rose 4.9%, with strong Back-to-School sales and contributions from the Rogan’s Shoes acquisition driving performance.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SCVL (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Blue-Chip Stock #5: Hyster Yale Inc. (HY)
- Dividend History: 11 years of consecutive increases
- Dividend Yield: 2.6%
- Expected Total Return: 17.6%
Hyster-Yale Materials Handling operates in the materials handling industry. The company designs, manufactures, and sells a comprehensive range of lift trucks and aftermarket parts, serving diverse customers across various sectors, including manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics.
HY maintains a strong competitive position with a significant market share due to its reputable brands, Hyster and Yale. The company segments its revenue primarily into three categories: new equipment sales, parts sales, and service revenues.
On November 5th, 2024, the company announced results for the third quarter of 2024. The company reported Q3 non GAAP EPS of $0.97, missing estimates by $1.00 and produced revenue of $1.02 billion, which was up 2.0% year-over year.
The company generated $70 million in operating cash flow but faced a 44% decline in operating profit, reaching $33.1 million, as ongoing cost pressures and lower volumes in EMEA and JAPIC weighed on margins. Net income dropped to $17.2 million from $35.8 million in Q3 2023, while diluted EPS fell 53% to $0.97.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on HY (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Blue-Chip Stock #4: Perrigo Company plc (PRGO)
- Dividend History: 22 years of consecutive increases
- Dividend Yield: 4.4%
- Expected Total Return: 17.6%
Perrigo’s history goes all the way back to 1887 when Luther Perrigo, the proprietor of a general store and apple-drying business, had the idea to package and distribute patented medicines and household items for country stores.
Today, Perrigo is headquartered in Ireland. It operates in the healthcare sector as a manufacturer of over-the-counter consumer products.
Its Consumer Self-Care Americas segment is comprised of the U.S., Mexico and Canada consumer healthcare businesses.
The Consumer Self-Care International segment includes branded consumer healthcare business primarily in Europe, but also Australia and Israel. The company generates ~$4.7 billion in annual revenue.
On February 26th, 2024, Perrigo announced that it was raising its quarterly dividend 1.1% to $0.276, extending the company’s dividend growth streak to 22 consecutive years.
On November 6th, 2024, Perrigo reported third quarter earnings results for the period ending September 30th, 2024. For the quarter, revenue fell 3.2% to $1.1 billion, which was $30 million below estimates.
Adjusted earnings-per-share of $0.81 compared favorably to $0.64 in the prior year and was in-line with expectations.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PRGO (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Blue-Chip Stock #3: SJW Group (SJW)
- Dividend History: 57 years of consecutive increases
- Dividend Yield: 3.4%
- Expected Total Return: 18.1%
SJW Group is a water utility stock that produces, purchases, stores, purifies and distributes water to consumers and businesses in the Silicon Valley area of California, the area north of San Antonio, Texas, Connecticut, and Maine.
SJW Group has a small real estate division that owns and develops properties for residential and warehouse customers in California and Tennessee. The company generates about $670 million in annual revenues.
Source: Investor Presentation
On October 28th, 2024, SJW Group reported third quarter results for the period ending June 30th, 2024. For the quarter, revenue grew 9.9% to $225.1 million, beating estimates by $11.6 million.
Earnings-per-share of $1.18 compared favorably to earnings-per-share of $1.13 in the prior year and was $0.04 more than expected.
As with prior periods, the improvement in revenue was mostly due to SJW Group’s California and Connecticut businesses, which benefited from higher water rates, while growth in customers aided the Texas business.
Higher rates overall added $40 million to results for the quarter, higher customer usage added $4.8 million, and growth in customers contributed $2.4 million. Operating production expenses totaled $166.7 million, which was a 12% increase from the prior year.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SJW (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Blue-Chip Stock #2: Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)
- Dividend History: 16 years of consecutive increases
- Dividend Yield: 3.7%
- Expected Total Return: 19.0%
Comcast is a media, entertainment and communications company. Its business units include Cable Communications (High–Speed Internet, Video, Business Services, Voice, Advertising, Wireless), NBCUniversal (Cable Networks, Theme Parks, Broadcast TV, Filmed Entertainment), and Sky, a leading entertainment company in Europe.
Comcast reported its Q3 2024 results on Oct. 31st, 2024. For the quarter, the company’s revenue rose 6.5% to $32.1 billion year over year. Adjusted EBITDA (a cash flow proxy) was down 2.3% to $9.7 billion.
Source: Investor Presentation
However, it was able to increase adjusted earnings-per-share (EPS) by 3.3% to $1.12. And Comcast generated free cash flow (FCF) of $3.4 billion. The Connectivity & Platforms segment’s revenues were down 0.4% to $20.3 billion.
The segment experienced adjusted EBITDA growing marginally by 0.7% to $8.3 billion, helped by margins expansion of 0.5% to 40.9%. The Content & Experiences segment saw revenue grow 19% to $12.6 billion, while its adjusted EBITDA fell 8.7% to $1.8 billion.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on Comcast (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Blue-Chip Stock #1: Eversource Energy (ES)
- Dividend History: 27 years of consecutive increases
- Dividend Yield: 5.2%
- Expected Total Return: 19.4%
Eversource Energy is a diversified holding company with subsidiaries that provide regulated electric, gas, and water distribution service in the Northeast U.S.
The company’s utilities serve more than 4 million customers after acquiring NStar’s Massachusetts utilities in 2012, Aquarion in 2017, and Columbia Gas in 2020.
Eversource has delivered steady growth to shareholders for many years.
Source: Investor Presentation
On November 4th, 2024, Eversource Energy released its third-quarter 2024 results for the period ending September 30th, 2024.
For the quarter, the company reported a net loss of $(118.1) million, a sharp decline from earnings of $339.7 million in the same quarter of last year, which reflects the impact of the company’s exit from offshore wind investments.
The company reported a loss per share of $(0.33), compared with earnings-per-share of $0.97 in the prior year. Earnings from the Electric Transmission segment increased to $174.9 million, up from $160.3 million in the prior year, primarily due to a higher level of investment in Eversource’s electric transmission system.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on ES (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Other Blue Chip Stock Resources
Blue chip stocks tend to have many or all of the following characteristics:
- Market leaders
- Popular / well-known
- Large-cap market capitalization
- Long history of paying rising dividends
- Consistent profitability even during recessions
That’s why they can make excellent investments for the long-run. And their strength and reliability make them compelling investments for investors of all experience levels, from beginners to experts.
This article featured several resources for finding compelling blue chip stock investments:
- The Blue Chip Stocks List (see below)
The resources below will give you a better understanding of dividend growth investing:
Dividend Growth Investing
- Dividend Kings: 50+ Consecutive years of dividend increases
- Dividend Champions: 25+ Consecutive years of dividend increases
- The Best DRIP Stocks: The top 15 Dividend Champions with no-fee dividend reinvestment plans