Pepsico’s North America Beverages segment offers beverage concentrates, fountain syrups, and finished goods under the Pepsi, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Aquafina, Diet Mountain Dew, Tropicana Pure Premium, Sierra Mist, and Mug brands; and ready-to-drink tea and coffee, and juices.

Shareholders receive a very dependable 2.54% dividend. Goldman Sachs has their price target posted at $185, while the consensus is set at $183.68. PepsiCo shares closed Monday at $184.82.

Republic Services

Despite the economy’s ups and downs, somebody has to pick up the trash and recyclables each week, and this is a leader in the business. Republic Services Inc. (NYSE: RSG), together with its subsidiaries, offers environmental services in the United States. The company offers collection and processing of recyclable materials, collection, transfer, and disposal of non-hazardous solid waste, and other environmental solutions.

The company’s collection services include curbside collection of material for transport to transfer stations, landfills, or recycling processing centers; supply of recycling and waste containers; and renting of compactors. In addition, the company engages in the processing and sale of old corrugated containers, old newsprint, aluminum, glass, and other materials; and provision of landfill and transfer services.

Republic Services also offers disposal of non-hazardous solid and liquid material and in-plant services, such as transportation and logistics. It serves small-container, large-container, and residential customers. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated through 356 collection operations, 239 transfer stations, 198 active landfills, 71 recycling processing centers, 6 saltwater disposal wells, and 7 deep injection wells, as well as 3 treatment, recovery, and disposal facilities in 41 states. It also operated 77 landfill gas-to-energy and renewable energy projects and had 124 closed landfills.

Shareholders are paid a 1.48% dividend. The Goldman Sachs price target is set at $173, while the consensus was last seen at $152.07. The shares ended trading on Monday at $134.65.

Walmart

The giant retailer posted solid third-quarter results beating estimates, and is a top idea for investors looking for retail winners during this year’s holiday shopping season. Walmart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is the world’s largest retailer operating retail stores under the formats of Walmart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations in the United States as well as a growing e-commerce business (including Jet.com). Internationally, Walmart also operates locations in several countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

Each week, nearly 260 million customers and members visit the company’s 11,535 stores under 72 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2019 revenue of $514.4 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.2 million associates worldwide.

Shareholders are paid a 1.50% dividend. The Goldman Sachs analysts have a Buy rating to go with a price target of $160. That compares to the consensus target which is posted at $159.89. Walmart shares were last seen trading Monday at $151.15.

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All seven of these top companies have reasonable upside to the Goldman Sachs targets, and they all pay very dependable dividends. With even moderate appreciation in the shares prices of these top companies, investors should be looking at close to double digit total return potential. In a market that remains very long in the tooth, and an economy that is sputtering, these dependable companies make a ton of sense for nervous investors now as we are likely in a recession already, which will deepen over the next 12 months, and face rising interest rates that are expected to go higher this year and in 2023.