All 30 Dow Stocks Ranked: The Pros Weigh In

You can't beat Dow stocks for stability and defense in a down market. By the same token, the blue chip average won't always keep up in a rising market.

Case in point: equities are off to a strong start in 2023, with the S&P 500 generating a total return (price change plus dividends) of 8.1% through April 20. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, which is both riskier and "growthier," jumped 15.5% on a total return basis over the same span.  

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, by comparison, is very much lagging the pack. The elite bastion of 30 mostly mature industry leaders delivered a relatively poky total return of 2.6% through the first 16 weeks of the year.

Zoom out, however, and Dow stocks have served buy-and-hold investors quite well since the market hit its all-time closing peak back on Jan. 3, 2022. The S&P 500's total return stands at -12% since then. The Nasdaq Composite's total return comes to -23% over the same time frame.

True, the Dow has by no means escaped the bear market unscathed. But its total return of -5.1% since the market peaked out has saved plenty of investors from suffering significantly steeper losses.

As bright a start to the year as it's been for equity investors, no shortage of economists and strategists see dark skies ahead. Rising interest rates, sticky inflation, a retreat in lending stemming from the regional bank crisis and a gloomy GDP forecast could very well squelch market participants' appetite for risk as we head into the second half of 2023.

That's where Dow stocks come in.

This collection of industry-leading companies and dividend growth stalwarts with their battleship-like balance sheets can offer something of a safe harbor in tempestuous times. From the best Dow dividend stocks to the most widely held blue chip stocks, components of the industrial average occupy top spots in the portfolios of hedge funds and billionaire investors. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B (opens in new tab)), in particular, is a huge fan of certain Dow stocks.

To get a sense of which Dow stocks Wall Street recommends in another uncertain year for equities, we screened the DJIA by analysts' consensus recommendations, from worst to first, using data from S&P Global Market Intelligence (opens in new tab).

Here's how the ratings system works: S&P surveys analysts' stock calls and scores them on a five-point scale, where 1.0 equals a Strong Buy and 5.0 is a Strong Sell. Scores between 3.5 and 2.5 translate into Hold recommendations. Scores higher than 3.5 equate to Sell ratings, while scores equal to or below 2.5 mean that analysts, on average, rate shares at Buy. The closer a score gets to 1.0, the higher conviction the Buy recommendation.

See the table below for analysts' consensus recommendations on all 30 Dow stocks, per S&P Global Market Intelligence, as of April 21, 2023.