Consumer Staples Sector Sees Best Start in 25 Years
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 26 2026
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Should l Buy STZ?
Source: CNBC
- Strong Market Performance: The Consumer Staples Index has risen 6.6% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500 by over 500 basis points, indicating the sector's defensive strength amid market volatility and reflecting investors' preference for stable returns.
- Fundamental Improvement: Despite facing headwinds such as elevated input costs and shifting consumer behavior during the 2023-2025 period, these pressures are beginning to ease, setting the stage for a more sustainable recovery with better performance expected ahead.
- Emerging Investment Opportunities: Analysts at Wells Fargo highlight household and personal care as areas of interest, although clearer evidence of improving data is needed to confirm trends, with Church & Dwight, Procter & Gamble, and Edgewell Personal Care receiving overweight ratings.
- Positive Beverage Stock Outlook: Beverage stocks are expected to show sustained recovery into the summer, particularly beer companies like Constellation Brands and Anheuser-Busch InBev, which are viewed as the most attractive recovery trades, reflecting market confidence in consumer staples.
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Analyst Views on STZ
Wall Street analysts forecast STZ stock price to rise
15 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
7 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 162.360
Low
135.00
Averages
163.00
High
209.00
Current: 162.360
Low
135.00
Averages
163.00
High
209.00
About STZ
Constellation Brands, Inc. is a producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy with brands, such as Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, Robert Mondavi Winery, Kim Crawford, The Prisoner Wine Company, High West, Casa Noble, and Mi CAMPO. Its segments include Beer, Wine and Spirits, and Corporate Operations and Other. In the Beer segment, its portfolio consists of high-end imported beer brands and ABAs. It has a perpetual brand license to produce its Mexican beer portfolio and to import, market, and sell such a portfolio in the United States. In the Wine and Spirits segment, it sells a portfolio that includes higher-end wine brands complemented by certain higher-end spirits brands. Its Corporate Operations and Other segment consists of costs of corporate development, corporate finance, corporate strategy, executive management, growth, human resources, internal audit, investor relations, IT, legal and public relations.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Sector Performance: In 2026, the consumer staples sector has surged over 15.5% in the S&P 500, becoming the third-best performing sector, indicating a growing investor preference for defensive stocks amid a market rotation.
- Valuation Surge: Wolfe Research noted that market-weighted valuations for consumer staples have reached their highest levels since the 1990s, reflecting increased investor confidence in the sector despite a lackluster overall market performance.
- Walmart's Market Position: Walmart's stock jumped 20% in 2026, allowing it to join the $1 trillion market cap club, showcasing its adaptability in the AI economy and solidifying its leading position in retail.
- Future Outlook: Analysts predict that as consumer demand rebounds in 2026, the fundamentals for the consumer staples sector are likely to improve, particularly with potential tax relief for lower-income households boosting product demand.
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- American Express Earnings Analysis: American Express reported Q4 earnings of $3.53 per share, falling short of expectations and causing a more than 10% drop from its early January peak; however, its total revenue still grew 9% year-over-year, indicating resilience in its affluent customer base, with projected earnings per share of $17.30 to $17.90 in 2026, reflecting the company's optimistic outlook.
- Apple Sales Growth: Apple's fiscal Q1 iPhone sales surged 23% year-over-year to $85.3 billion, despite a slight stock decline due to market focus on AI; consumer anticipation for future AI tools is driving sales, showcasing the company's strong performance in the tech sector.
- Constellation Brands Challenges: Constellation Brands, a smaller position in Buffett's portfolio, has grown to a $2 billion stake since its initial purchase in late 2024, facing declining beer sales over the past four quarters; however, a recovering economy is expected to drive growth, with a current dividend yield of 2.5%.
- Market Sentiment Impact: Despite the stock price declines of American Express and Apple due to market pessimism, their fundamentals remain strong, suggesting that investors should focus on long-term potential rather than short-term fluctuations.
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- American Express Earnings Highlights: Despite fourth-quarter earnings of $3.53 per share falling short of expectations, leading to a more than 10% drop from early January highs, the company's total revenue still grew 9% year-over-year, showcasing the resilience of its affluent cardholder base and an expected recovery in growth.
- Apple Sales Rebound: Apple's fiscal first-quarter iPhone sales surged 23% year-over-year to $85.3 billion, driven by consumer anticipation for future AI tools, despite concerns surrounding its technology sector, indicating strong market demand.
- Brewer Investment Opportunity: Berkshire Hathaway's investment in Constellation Brands began in late 2024 and grew to a $2 billion stake by mid-2025; although the company faces declining interest in alcoholic beverages, a recovery in the economy is expected to boost its business.
- Market Sentiment Impact: The stock price fluctuations of American Express and Apple reflect broader market pessimism, with analysts suggesting that this dynamic could reverse as investors reassess the companies' fundamentals, presenting potential investment opportunities.
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- Inflation Report Impact: A cooler-than-expected inflation report resulted in flat stock performance for the day.
- Treasury Yields Reaction: The report led to lower Treasury yields as investors anticipated potential rate cuts in the coming months.
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- Market Recovery: The S&P 500 index rose by 0.05%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.10%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.18% on Friday, indicating a recovery after early losses, reflecting cautious optimism among investors regarding future economic prospects.
- Inflation Data Impact: The U.S. January Consumer Price Index rose by 2.4% year-over-year, below the expected 2.5%, marking the smallest increase in seven months, which may prompt the Fed to continue cutting rates, thus providing support for the stock market and alleviating concerns over rate hikes.
- Strong Software Stock Performance: Software stocks like Crowdstrike Holdings and ServiceNow rose over 4% and 3%, respectively, lifting the broader market and indicating a rebound in investor confidence in tech stocks, particularly amid rapid advancements in AI technology.
- Metal Stocks Retreat: Reports of the Trump administration's plans to narrow tariffs on steel and aluminum products led to declines in metal companies, with Century Aluminum falling over 7%, reflecting the negative impact of policy changes on the sector.
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- Surge in Options Volume: Constellation Brands Inc (STZ) saw options trading volume of 12,611 contracts today, equating to approximately 1.3 million shares, which represents about 52.9% of its average daily trading volume of 2.4 million shares over the past month, indicating heightened market interest in its future performance.
- High Demand for Call Options: Among STZ options, the $165 strike call option expiring on February 13, 2026, has seen 1,366 contracts traded today, representing around 136,600 underlying shares, reflecting investor expectations for the stock's upward movement.
- Active Visa Options Trading: Visa Inc (V) recorded an options trading volume of 42,271 contracts today, translating to approximately 4.2 million shares, which is 51.4% of its average daily trading volume of 8.2 million shares over the past month, showcasing strong market interest in its stock.
- Put Options Activity: For V, the $290 strike put option expiring on March 20, 2026, has seen 1,908 contracts traded today, representing about 190,800 underlying shares, indicating investor concern regarding potential downside risks.
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