Consumer staples are considered safe havens in turbulent markets due to their inelastic demand profiles. But they’re also double-edged swords as they often lag in booming conditions, and this pattern has persisted recently. Over the past six months, the industry has recorded a loss of 4.8%, a far cry from the S&P 500’s 5.4% ascent.

Only some companies are subject to these dynamics, however, and a handful of high-quality businesses can deliver earnings growth in any environment. On that note, here is one resilient consumer stock we’ve added to our cart and two we’re swiping left on.

Two Consumer StaplesStocks to Sell:

Hershey (HSY)

Market Cap: $33.41 billion

Best known for its milk chocolate bar and Hershey's Kisses, Hershey (NYSE: HSY) is an iconic company known for its chocolate products.

Why Does HSY Give Us Pause?

1. Shrinking unit sales over the past two years imply it may need to invest in product improvements to get back on track
2. Organic revenue growth fell short of our benchmarks over the past two years and implies it may need to improve its products, pricing, or go-to-market strategy
3. Costs have risen faster than its revenue over the last year, causing its operating margin to decline by 4.1 percentage points

Hershey’s stock price of $164.91 implies a valuation ratio of 26.7x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why HSY doesn’t pass our bar.

Dole (DOLE)

Market Cap: $1.32 billion

Known for its delicious pineapples and Hawaiian roots, Dole (NYSE: DOLE) is a global agricultural company specializing in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Why Should You Dump DOLE?

1. Sales tumbled by 2% annually over the last three years, showing consumer trends are working against its favor
2. Anticipated sales growth of 1.9% for the next year implies demand will be shaky
3. Gross margin of 8.4% is below its competitors, leaving less money to invest in areas like marketing and production facilities

Dole is trading at $13.92 per share, or 10.1x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than DOLE.

One Consumer Staples Stock to Watch:

WD-40 (WDFC)

Market Cap: $3.07 billion

Short for “Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try”, WD-40 (NASDAQ: WDFC) is a renowned American consumer goods company known for its iconic and versatile spray, WD-40 Multi-Use Product.

Why Do We Watch WDFC?

1. Products command premium prices and lead to a stellar gross margin of 53.8%
2. Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends
3. Industry-leading 27.5% return on capital demonstrates management’s skill in finding high-return investments

At $225 per share, WD-40 trades at 38.2x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs.

While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today

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