Wall Street's Most Accurate Analysts Weigh In On 3 Defensive Stocks With Over 3% 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 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.

PepsiCo Inc (NASDAQ:PEP)

• Dividend Yield: 3.82%
• UBS analyst Peter Grom maintained a Buy rating and decreased the price target from $172 to $170 on Jan. 14, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 59%.
• Citigroup analyst Filippo Falorni maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target from $165 to $170 on Dec. 17, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 56%
• Recent News: PepsiCo, last month, announced a set of operational changes backed by activist investor Elliott Investment Management, including a supply chain review and a streamlined product lineup.
• Benzinga Pro’s real-time newsfeed alerted to latest PEP news.

Molson Coors Beverage Co (NYSE:TAP)

• Dividend Yield: 3.88%
• UBS analyst Peter Grom maintained a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $47 to $50 on Jan. 14, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 59%.
• Piper Sandler analyst Michael Lavery maintained a Neutral rating and cut the price target from $52 to $50 on Nov. 21, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 64%
• Recent News: Molson Coors Beverage said it will release its fourth quarter and full year earnings results on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
• Benzinga Pro's real-time newsfeed alerted to latest TAP news

J M Smucker Co (NYSE:SJM)

• Dividend Yield: 4.18%
• Morgan Stanley analyst Megan Alexander downgraded the stock from Overweight to Equal-Weightand cut the price target from $115 to $105 on Jan. 16, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 65%.
• TD Cowen analyst Robert Moskow maintained a Hold rating and lowered the price target from $111 to $105 on Jan. 8, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 65%.
• Recent News: On Nov. 25, the company reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $2.20, in line with the analyst consensus estimate.
• Benzinga Pro’s real-time newsfeed alerted to latest SJM news

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