You don’t need to be an economist to determine that the path of least resistance for inflation will be higher as 2026 rolls on. While energy prices are the biggest determining factor, we have seen grocery prices, especially in the meat department, remain elevated for months, and electricity costs could rise as more data centers are built and come online. The bottom line is that energy prices touch everything, and while they likely won’t stay above $100 when the Iran conflict is resolved, they will remain higher than previously anticipated for 2026.
One thing is for sure: history shows that five sectors tend to outperform during inflationary periods, and all offer some outstanding companies to invest in now. We found five stocks, one in each sector, and all are rated Buy at the top Wall Street companies we cover here at 24/7 Wall St.
Here are the five sectors that typically do better during inflationary times:
- Energy
- Materials/Commodities
- Real Estate
- Financials
- Consumer Staples
Obviously, the energy sector exploded higher at the outset of the conflict with Iran, but there are still outstanding opportunities. We screened all five sectors and found five outstanding companies, one in each sector that pays big, reliable dividends and should do well as 2026 progresses and prices stay elevated. Hopefully, the economy will remain strong enough that inflation doesn’t turn into a period of stagflation, a term that describes a stagnant economy with inflation.
Energy: Enterprise Products Partners
This top midstream giant is an American midstream natural gas and crude oil pipeline company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD | EPD Price Prediction) is one of the most extensive publicly traded energy partnerships, paying a very reliable 5.89% dividend.
The company’s debt-to-EBITDA ratio ranges from 3.1x to 3.4x, which is moderate for a midstream energy company, and its interest coverage ratio is 5x. Enterprise Products Partners generates strong free cash flow, with an operating cash flow of approximately $8.8 billion, resulting in around $4.2 billion in free cash flow annually, after deducting capital expenditures. Another significant benefit for shareholders is that most of the corporate debt is fixed-rate, thereby limiting the risk of rising interest rates.
The company provides various midstream energy services, including:
- Gathering
- Processing
- Transporting and storing natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL), and fractionation
- Import and export terminalling
- Offshore production platform
The company has four reportable business segments:
- Natural Gas Pipelines and Services
- NGL Pipelines and Services
- Petrochemical Services
- Crude Oil Pipelines and Services
One reason many analysts like the stock might be its distribution coverage ratio. The company’s coverage ratio is well above 1x, making it relatively less risky among the master limited partnerships.
Wells Fargo has an Overweight rating with a $42 target price objective.
Materials/Commodities: Bunge Global
While off the radar of many investors, this company, located outside St. Louis, pays a 2.26% dividend and could be a big winner the rest of 2026. Bunge Global (NYSE: BG) is an agribusiness and food company that operates through four segments:
- Agribusiness
- Refined and Specialty Oils
- Milling and Sugar
- Bioenergy
The Agribusiness segment purchases, stores, transports, processes, and sells agricultural commodities and commodity products, including oilseeds, primarily soybeans, rapeseed, canola, and sunflower seeds, as well as grains comprising wheat and corn. It processes oilseeds into vegetable oils and protein meals.
This segment offers its products for:
- Animal feed manufacturers
- Livestock producers
- Wheat and corn millers
- Oilseed processors
- Third-party edible oil processing
- Biofuel companies for biofuel production applications
The Refined and Specialty Oils segment sells packaged and bulk oils and fats that comprise:
- Cooking oils
- Shortenings
- Margarines
- Mayonnaise
- Renewable diesel feedstocks
- Products for baked goods companies, snack food producers, confectioners, restaurant chains, foodservice operators, infant nutrition companies, other food manufacturers, grocery chains, wholesalers, distributors, and other retailers
This segment also refines and fractionates palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and olive oil, and produces specialty ingredients derived from vegetable oils, such as lecithin.
The Milling segment provides wheat flours and bakery mixes; corn milling products comprising dry-milled corn meals and flours, wet-milled masa and flours, and flaking and brewer’s grits; soy-fortified corn meal, corn-soy blends, and other products; whole-grain and fiber ingredients; die-cut pellets; and non-GMO products.
The Sugar and Bioenergy segment produces sugar and ethanol, and generates electricity from burning sugarcane bagasse.
BMO Capital Markets has an Outperform rating with a target price of $150.
Real Estate: Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG), a leading real estate company, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that pays a solid 4.23% dividend. It owns, develops, and manages premier shopping, dining, entertainment, and mixed-use destinations, primarily consisting of malls, Premium Outlets, and The Mills.
The company owns or holds an interest in approximately 196 income-producing properties in the United States, which consist of :
- 93 malls
- 70 Premium Outlets
- 14 Mills
- Six lifestyle centers
- 13 other retail properties in 37 states and Puerto Rico
It also holds an interest in 22 regional, super-regional, and outlet malls in the United States and Asia.
Additionally, redevelopment and expansion projects, including the addition of anchors, big-box tenants, and restaurants, are underway at properties in North America, Europe, and Asia. Internationally, the company owns 35 Premium Outlets and Designer Outlet properties, primarily located in Asia, Europe, and Canada. It also has two luxury outlet destinations in Italy.
Piper Sandler has an Overweight rating with a $230 target price.
Financials: U.S. Bancorp
Based in Minneapolis, this super-regional financial giant is an outstanding choice for growth and income investors now, offering a hefty 3.71% dividend. U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) is a financial services holding company.
The bank’s segments are:
- Wealth
- Corporate
- Commercial and Institutional Banking
- Consumer and Business Banking
- Payment Services
- Treasury and Corporate Support
It offers a comprehensive range of financial services, including lending and deposit services, cash management, capital markets, and trust and investment management services. It also engages in credit card services, merchant and ATM processing, mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, and leasing.
The company’s banking subsidiary, U.S. Bank National Association (USBNA), is engaged in the banking business, principally in domestic markets. USBNA provides a range of products and services to individuals, businesses, institutional organizations, governmental entities, and other financial institutions.
The non-banking subsidiaries offer investment and insurance products to customers primarily within their domestic markets, as well as fund administration services to a range of mutual and other funds.
Oppenheimer has an Outperform rating with a $73 target price.
Consumer Staples: Altria
Altria (NYSE: MO) is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of cigarettes and other tobacco-related products. It offers value investors a solid entry point and a 6.17% dividend. Altria manufactures and sells smokable and oral tobacco products in the United States, and it primarily sells cigarettes under the Marlboro brand, as well as:
- Cigars and pipe tobacco, principally under the Black & Mild and Middleton brands
- Moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands
- on! Oral nicotine pouches
- e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand
The company sells its tobacco products primarily to wholesalers, including distributors and large retail organizations, such as chain stores.
Altria used to own over 10% of Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD), the world’s largest brewer. In March of 2024, the company sold 35 million of its 197 million shares through a global secondary offering. That represents 18% of its holdings but still leaves 8% of the outstanding shares in its back pocket. Altria also announced a $2.4 billion stock repurchase plan partially funded by the sale.
Altria increased its quarterly dividend in the fall of 2025 by 3.9%, from $1.02 to $1.06 per share, marking its 55th consecutive dividend increase.
UBS has a Buy rating with a $74 target price.
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