Wall Street's Most Accurate Analysts Give Their Take On 3 Defensive Stocks Delivering High-Dividend Yields

During times of turbulence and uncertainty in the markets, many investors turn to dividend-yielding stocks. These are often companies that have high free cash flows and reward shareholders with a high dividend payout.

Benzinga readers can review the latest analyst takes on their favorite stocks by visiting our Analyst Stock Ratings page. Traders can sort through Benzinga's extensive database of analyst ratings, including by analyst accuracy.

Below are the ratings of the most accurate analysts for three high-yielding stocks in the consumer staples sector.

Altria Group, Inc. MO

• Dividend Yield: 7.84%
• B of A Securities analyst Lisa Lewandowski maintained a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $47 to $48 on July 10. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 61%.
• Morgan Stanley analyst Pamela Kaufman reiterated an Equal-Weight rating with a price target of $45 on July 18, 2023. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 68%.
• Recent News: On July 31, Altria Group reported worse-than-expected second-quarter financial results.
• Benzinga Pro’s real-time newsfeed alerted to latest MO news.

Conagra Brands, Inc. CAG

• Dividend Yield: 4.70%
• Evercore ISI Group analyst David Palmermaintained a Neutral rating and lowered the price target from $32 to $31 on July 12. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 62%.
• Wells Fargo analyst Chris Carey maintained an Equal-Weight rating and cut the price target from $32 to $31 on July 10. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 65%.
• Recent News: On July 11, Conagra Brands reported worse-than-expected fourth-quarter sales results and issued FY25 adjusted EPS guidance below estimates.
• Benzinga Pro’s charting tool helped identify the trend in CAG stock.

The Kraft Heinz Company KHC

• Dividend Yield: 4.61%
• Wells Fargo analyst Chris Carey maintained an Equal-Weight rating and raised the price target from $34 to $35 on Aug. 1. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 65%.
• B of A Securities analyst Bryan Spillane maintained a Buy rating and cut the price target of $42 to $38 on July 10. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 68%.
• Recent News: On July 31, Kraft Heinz reported better-than-expected second-quarter adjusted EPS results.
• Benzinga Pro’s signals feature notified of a potential breakout in KHC shares.

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