With oil prices jumping, geopolitical risks back in focus, and investors watching every move from the Federal Reserve, attention is swinging back to dependable dividend payers that can help steady a portfolio. This creates a window where defensive dividend stocks may attract renewed interest from income focused investors who do not want to sit entirely in cash. This article looks at 3 stocks from our Defensive Dividend Stocks screener that appear positively exposed to the current news drivers.

The stocks covered below are just a starting sample, with the full Defensive Dividend Stocks screen surfacing 24 more companies that carry similarly compelling income and balance sheet stories that are not included here. To identify and analyze the ideas that best suit your risk tolerance and income goals, head straight into the Defensive Dividend Stocks screener.

Ingredion (INGR)

Overview: Ingredion is a global ingredient supplier that turns corn and other starch rich crops into sweeteners, starches, nutrition ingredients, and biomaterial solutions used in everyday products from packaged foods and beverages to pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, construction materials, and biodegradable plastics.

Operations: Ingredion generates most of its roughly $7.5b in annual revenue from Texture & Healthful Solutions at about $2.5b, Food & Industrial Ingredients in LATAM at about $2.4b, and Food & Industrial Ingredients in the U.S./Canada at about $2.1b, with smaller contributions from other activities and intersegment sales.

Market Cap: $6.5b

Ingredion gives you exposure to essential food and beverage ingredients that customers tend to keep buying even when growth stocks are under pressure. The company is backed by a 3.19% dividend yield and a long corporate history dating back to 1906. The stock screens as good value on earnings multiples and against analyst and DCF estimates. The push into higher margin Texture & Healthful Solutions and the planned Tate & Lyle acquisition are described as efforts to lift profitability further. At the same time, recent earnings softness, heavy use of external borrowing and sensitivities around tariffs, energy costs and LATAM demand show why investors are watching upcoming results and deal financing very closely.

Ingredion’s push into higher margin Texture & Healthful Solutions could be masking a very different earnings story than headline numbers suggest. Get the full picture with the DCF valuation analysis for Ingredion to see what the market might be missing.

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Ingredion and the two other stocks in this list all surfaced from a single Simply Wall St screen, which you can easily adapt to your own style. Use our customisable Screener to mix filters across value, dividends, balance sheet strength and risks, or jump straight into our curated Investing Ideas.

Lassonde Industries (TSX:LAS.A)

Overview: Lassonde Industries is a Canadian food and beverage group that produces a wide range of shelf stable juices, premium fruit beverages, sauces, soups, broths, fruit snacks and some alcoholic drinks that you see on supermarket shelves and in foodservice outlets across Canada, the United States and other markets.

Operations: Lassonde generates about CA$2.9b in revenue from Beverage and Specialty Food Products, with roughly CA$1.6b coming from the United States, CA$1.3b from Canada and a small contribution from other markets.

Market Cap: CA$1.5b

Lassonde Industries sits in the defensive consumer staples bucket, with brands that target everyday juice, sauce and snack occasions, plus a mix of private label and foodservice contracts that can help smooth volumes when markets are choppy. The stock is priced below some fair value estimates and analyst targets, yet analysts still expect only moderate growth. This hints at a disconnect between current sentiment and what the business might deliver if cost controls, local production projects and mix improvements work as planned. The catch is that earnings rely on volatile fruit concentrate and packaging costs, an unstable dividend record and rising leverage. As a result, the investment case depends on how comfortable you are with that trade off and the upcoming earnings updates around August 6 and 7, 2026.

Lassonde Industries appears to be a valuation story that many investors have only half read, with pricing below some fair value estimates and analyst targets while growth expectations remain muted. Get the full context in the analysis report for Lassonde Industries

Associated British Foods (LSE:ABF)

Overview: Associated British Foods is a diversified group that owns the Primark and Penneys clothing chains and also supplies branded and own label grocery products, ingredients, sugar and animal feed to retailers, food makers and farmers around the world.

Operations: Associated British Foods generates most of its revenue from Retail at about £9.7b, supported by Grocery at about £4.1b, Ingredients at about £2.2b, Sugar at about £2.1b and Agriculture at about £1.6b, with the United Kingdom and Europe & Africa together accounting for the bulk of sales.

Market Cap: £14.8b

Associated British Foods gives you a mix of Primark’s value focused retail, everyday food brands and ingredients that can appeal when investors are looking for cash flow resilience as oil shocks and higher yields pressure growth stocks. The stock trades below some fair value estimates, even though earnings growth expectations sit in the mid single digits and recent profit margins have compressed to 4.9%. That combination of modest growth, lower P/E than many food peers and steady cash generation is what keeps interest alive, especially as the dividend record is flagged as unstable and the group relies entirely on external borrowing. For income focused investors, the real question is how those trade offs compare with other defensive dividend options in the market.

Associated British Foods looks like a classic income stock masking a more complex valuation story, with modest growth expectations and a lower P/E than many peers. Get the DCF valuation analysis for Associated British Foods to see whether that mix signals a quiet opportunity or a warning hiding in plain sight.

Curious About Alternative Stock Paths?

Fresh ideas can move fast. Some are building breakout momentum, while others risk getting caught by the crowd once interest starts flying. Explore these under the radar picks while it matters and consider your options carefully.

• Identify companies quietly building potential staying power before everyone catches on with the list of solid balance sheet and fundamentals (49 results).
• Explore income opportunities where cash returns are a key part of the story through our curated 9 dividend fortresses.
• Track businesses tied to the power grid upgrade trend that may gain traction using the 36 power grid technology and infrastructure stocks.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.