The consumer staples sector has a reputation for being boring and stodgy, but boring has been beautiful this year as the fifth-largest sector weight in the S&P 500 has been one of 2016’s best-performing groups.
Consumer staples stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) can be considered resurgent following a trying 2015. Last year, staples ETFs had their hands full with rising rate-related issues.
Related: Sticking With Staples ETFs: Is it a Good Idea?
For example, several of the largest staples names have reported lackluster earnings, blaming the strong dollar for weak overseas currency conversions.
Another data points confirms the leadership of the staples sector. Year-to-date, 18 of the 30 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and that includes three XLP holdings: Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT).
The staples group and the corresponding ETFs have been bolstered this year by a weakening dollar and a sanguine interest rate environment.
[related_stories]The defensive consumer staples sector has been one of the year’s best performing areas of the S&P 500 as investors turned to more conservative plays in a volatile market, reports Stephanie Yang for CNBC.
Additionally, the time is right to consider consumer staples ETFs.
The sustainable nature of the consumer staples sector could help investors weather a potential storm in the summer months.
Related: Stuck on Staples ETFs Because They’re Working
Since April 30, 1945, the S&P 500 rose in price an average 1.4% from May through October, compared to an average 6.8% from November through April, writes Todd Rosenbluth, S&P Global Market Intelligence Director of ETF Research, in a research note.
With that, here are 13 consumer staples ETFs to consider.
Traditional Staples ETFs
1. Consumer Staples Select SPDR (NYSEArca: XLP)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Procter & Gamble Company (The) | PG | 11.43 |
| Coca-Cola Company (The) Common | KO | 9.39 |
| Philip Morris International Inc | PM | 8.17 |
| CVS Health Corporation Common S | CVS | 6.10 |
| Altria Group, Inc. | MO | 5.97 |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Common St | WMT | 5.64 |
| Pepsico, Inc. Common Stock | PEP | 4.59 |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. | WBA | 3.92 |
| Costco Wholesale Corporation | COST | 3.65 |
| Colgate-Palmolive Company Commo | CL | 3.52 |
2. Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (NYSEArca: VDC)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Procter & Gamble Company (The) | PG | 10.53 |
| Coca-Cola Company (The) Common | KO | 8.90 |
| Philip Morris International Inc | PM | 6.93 |
| Pepsico, Inc. Common Stock | PEP | 6.85 |
| Altria Group, Inc. | MO | 5.52 |
| CVS Health Corporation Common S | CVS | 5.09 |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Common St | WMT | 4.47 |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. | WBA | 3.69 |
| Costco Wholesale Corporation | COST | 3.47 |
| Mondelez International, Inc. | MDLZ | 3.24 |
3. Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF (NYSEArca: FSTA)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Procter & Gamble Company (The) | PG | 10.92 |
| Coca-Cola Company (The) Common | KO | 9.27 |
| Philip Morris International Inc | PM | 7.62 |
| Pepsico, Inc. Common Stock | PEP | 7.52 |
| Altria Group, Inc. | MO | 6.16 |
| CVS Health Corporation Common S | CVS | 5.58 |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Common St | WMT | 5.37 |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. | WBA | 3.46 |
| Mondelez International, Inc. | MDLZ | 3.42 |
| Costco Wholesale Corporation | COST | 3.25 |
4. iShares Dow Jones U. S. Consumer Goods Sector Index Fund (NYSEArca: IYK)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Procter & Gamble Company (The) | PG | 9.71 |
| Coca-Cola Company (The) Common | KO | 7.99 |
| Philip Morris International Inc | PM | 6.94 |
| Pepsico, Inc. Common Stock | PEP | 6.83 |
| Altria Group, Inc. | MO | 5.53 |
| Nike, Inc. Common Stock | NKE | 3.70 |
| Mondelez International, Inc. | MDLZ | 3.07 |
| Colgate-Palmolive Company Commo | CL | 2.83 |
| Ford Motor Company Common Stock | F | 2.47 |
| The Kraft Heinz Company | KHC | 2.15 |
5. PowerShares S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples Portfolio (NasdaqGM: PSCC)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| B&G Foods, Inc. B&G Foods, Inc. | BGS | 16.78 |
| Darling Ingredients Inc. Common | DAR | 15.61 |
| Sanderson Farms, Inc. | SAFM | 11.96 |
| Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. | CALM | 6.82 |
| The Andersons, Inc. | ANDE | 5.05 |
| MEDIFAST INC Common Stock | MED | 5.05 |
| Calavo Growers, Inc. | CVGW | 5.02 |
| Inter Parfums, Inc. | IPAR | 4.97 |
| Universal Corporation Common St | UVV | 4.88 |
| WD-40 Company | WDFC | 4.84 |
Smart Beta Staples ETFs
6. First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX Fund (NYSEArca: FXG)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Archer-Daniels-Midland Company | ADM | 5.21 |
| Ingredion Incorporated Common S | INGR | 5.10 |
| Mondelez International, Inc. | MDLZ | 5.07 |
| Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. | SPB | 4.92 |
| Rite Aid Corporation Common Sto | RAD | 4.68 |
| Tyson Foods, Inc. Common Stock | TSN | 4.68 |
| Sysco Corporation Common Stock | SYY | 4.67 |
| Bunge Limited Bunge Limited | BG | 4.18 |
| Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation | PPC | 4.01 |
| Reynolds American Inc Common St | RAI | 3.73 |
7. Guggenheim S&P Equal Weight Consumer Staples ETF (NYSEArca: RHS)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Mead Johnson Nutrition Company | MJN | 3.11 |
| Constellation Brands, Inc. Comm | STZ | 2.96 |
| Archer-Daniels-Midland Company | ADM | 2.94 |
| Monster Beverage Corporation | MNST | 2.90 |
| Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Com | CCE | 2.81 |
| Colgate-Palmolive Company Commo | CL | 2.79 |
| Molson Coors Brewing Company Cl | TAP | 2.78 |
| Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. (T | EL | 2.77 |
| Church & Dwight Company, Inc. C | CHD | 2.74 |
| Kellogg Company Common Stock | K | 2.74 |
8. PowerShares DWA Consumer Staples Momentum Portfolio (NYSEArca: PSL)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Altria Group, Inc. | MO | 5.42 |
| Monster Beverage Corporation | MNST | 4.99 |
| Reynolds American Inc Common St | RAI | 4.98 |
| Church & Dwight Company, Inc. C | CHD | 4.90 |
| Constellation Brands, Inc. Comm | STZ | 4.71 |
| McCormick & Company, Incorporat | MKC | 3.84 |
| Weight Watchers International I | WTW | 3.54 |
| Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. (T | EL | 3.53 |
| Tyson Foods, Inc. Common Stock | TSN | 3.33 |
| Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc Dr | DPS | 3.20 |
9. PowerShares Dynamic Food & Beverage Portfolio (NYSEArca: PBJ)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Constellation Brands, Inc. Comm | STZ | 5.35 |
| McDonald’s Corporation Common S | MCD | 5.26 |
| Sysco Corporation Common Stock | SYY | 5.18 |
| Mondelez International, Inc. | MDLZ | 5.14 |
| Tyson Foods, Inc. Common Stock | TSN | 4.92 |
| Starbucks Corporation | SBUX | 4.69 |
| Hormel Foods Corporation Common | HRL | 4.37 |
| Kroger Company (The) Common Sto | KR | 4.37 |
| Sonic Corp. | SONC | 3.31 |
| National Beverage Corp. | FIZZ | 3.25 |
10. John Hancock Multifactor Consumer Staples ETF (NYSEArca: JHMS)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Coca-Cola Company (The) Common | KO | 6.26 |
| Pepsico, Inc. Common Stock | PEP | 6.10 |
| Procter & Gamble Company (The) | PG | 5.97 |
| CVS Health Corporation Common S | CVS | 5.15 |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Common St | WMT | 4.99 |
| Altria Group, Inc. | MO | 4.65 |
| Philip Morris International Inc | PM | 4.49 |
| Costco Wholesale Corporation | COST | 3.08 |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. | WBA | 2.80 |
| Kroger Company (The) Common Sto | KR | 2.79 |
Global/International Staples ETFs
11. iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF (NYSEArca: KXI)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| NESTLE SA CHAM ET VE | NSRGF | 6.91 |
| Procter & Gamble Company (The) | PG | 6.14 |
| Coca-Cola Company (The) Common | KO | 5.05 |
| Philip Morris International Inc | PM | 4.39 |
| Pepsico, Inc. Common Stock | PEP | 4.31 |
| Altria Group, Inc. | MO | 3.51 |
| British American Tobacco PLC | BTAFF.L | 3.28 |
| CVS Health Corporation Common S | CVS | 3.26 |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Common St | WMT | 3.16 |
| ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV | AHBIF | 3.05 |
12. SPDR S&P International Consumer Staples Sector ETF (NYSEArca: IPS)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| NESTLE SA CHAM ET VE | NSRGF | 13.04 |
| British American Tobacco PLC | BTAFF.L | 6.21 |
| ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV | AHBIF | 5.57 |
| UNILEVER NV CERT SHS | UNLNF | 4.12 |
| Diageo PLC | DGEAF.L | 3.83 |
| Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC | RBGPF.L | 3.67 |
| Unilever PLC | UNLYF.L | 3.22 |
| SABMiller PLC | SBMRF.L | 3.11 |
| Imperial Brands PLC | ITYBF.L | 2.96 |
| JAPAN TOBACCO | JAPAF | 2.55 |
13. EGShares Emerging Markets Consumer ETF (NYSEArca: ECON)
Top 10 Holdings (%):
| Naspers Ltd Class N | NAPRF.JO | 10.53 |
| Ambev SA ADR | ABEV.SA | 6.03 |
| Steinhoff International Holdings NV | SNHFF.JO | 5.56 |
| Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV Units (1 Series B, 4 Series D) | FMXUF.MX | 5.27 |
| Ctrip.com International, Ltd. | CTRP | 4.76 |
| Wal – Mart de Mexico SAB de CV Class V | WMMVF.MX | 4.27 |
| Tata Motors Ltd ADR | TTM.BO | 4.16 |
| Grupo Televisa SAB CPO Terms:25 Shs-A- + 35 Shs-L- + 35 Shs-D- + 22 Sh-B- | GRPFF.MX | 3.88 |
| PT ASTRA INTL TBK | PTAIF | 3.54 |
| Magnit PJSC GDR | MGNT | 3.45 |
For more information on the Staples ETF market, visit our Staples category.