3 Defensive Dividend Stocks for Retirees Worried About the Next Market Downturn
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Phone plans, cancer drugs, and pipeline tolls keep getting paid when the economy stalls. Three low-beta dividend payers each carry one risk that could undercut the income, and only one of them is easy to spot.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- XLV Health Care Select Sector SPDR
Health Care Select Sector SPDR: it holds drugmakers and health companies. Linked by “drugs” (pharma and health) in this story.
- XBI SPDR S&P Biotech ETF
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF: it holds drugmakers and health companies. Linked by “drugs” (pharma and health) in this story.
- LLY Eli Lilly and+25.1% 30d
Eli Lilly and (pharmaceutical preparations): drugmakers move with drug pricing, approvals and health policy. Linked by “drugs” (pharma and health) in this story.
- JNJ Johnson & Johnson+12.1% 30d
Johnson & Johnson (pharmaceutical preparations): drugmakers move with drug pricing, approvals and health policy. Linked by “drugs” (pharma and health) in this story.
- PFE Pfizer+5.2% 30d
Pfizer (pharmaceutical preparations): drugmakers move with drug pricing, approvals and health policy. Linked by “drugs” (pharma and health) in this story.
- MRK Merck+3.5% 30d
Merck (pharmaceutical preparations): drugmakers move with drug pricing, approvals and health policy. Linked by “drugs” (pharma and health) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLVPrices arriving within minutes | — | — | — | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XBIPrices arriving within minutes | — | — | — | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| LLYPrices arriving within minutes | — | — | — | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| JNJPrices arriving within minutes | — | — | — | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| PFEPrices arriving within minutes | — | — | — | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| MRKPrices arriving within minutes | — | — | — | after close | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
3 Defensive Dividend Stocks for Retirees Worried About the Next Market Downturn 24/7 Wall St.
Source: 24/7 Wall St.
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Gilbert Cisneros bought Eli Lilly (LLY), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 20 Oct 2026. That is 25 days before publication. Filed 10 Nov 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Eli Lilly (LLY) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 4 Sep 2026. That is 71 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) (held by a spouse), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 7 Oct 2026. That is 38 days before publication. Filed 5 Nov 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr sold Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 30 Sep 2026. That is 45 days before publication. Filed 30 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 50 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Pfizer (PFE) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 4 Sep 2026. That is 71 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Pfizer (PFE), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 21 Aug 2026. That is 85 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar sold Merck (MRK), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 24 Sep 2026. That is 51 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar bought Merck (MRK), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 19 Aug 2026. That is 87 days before publication. Filed 9 Sep 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
This story
12 out of 100
“3 Defensive Dividend Stocks for Retirees Worried About the Next Market Downturn” scores 12 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources.