Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes
Published . Updated .
Key takeaways
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One of these three dividend payers started out selling candles and soap, another grew out of Rockefeller's Standard Oil. Each carries a hidden risk, and one stock looks pricey enough to challenge its own safe reputation.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- USO United States Oil Fund-1.1% 30d
United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- XLE Energy Select Sector SPDR+6.9% 30d
Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings-2.7% 17d
ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- CVX Chevron+3.1% 30d
Chevron (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- COP ConocoPhillips+4.0% 30d
ConocoPhillips (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- SHEL Shell+2.7% 10d
Shell (crude petroleum and natural gas): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USONo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XLENo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XOMNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CVXNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COPNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SHELNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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.
Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes 24/7 Wall St.
Source: 24/7 Wall St.
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 14 Oct 2026. That is 27 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) (jointly held), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 71 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Chevron (CVX), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 14 Oct 2026. That is 27 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Chevron (CVX) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 48 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar bought Chevron (CVX), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 2 Sep 2026. That is 69 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Conocophillips (COP) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 26 Aug 2026. That is 76 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Conocophillips (COP) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 24 Aug 2026. That is 78 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Conocophillips (COP), worth $1,000,001 - $5,000,000 on 21 Aug 2026. That is 81 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 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).
Who collects and who pays in defense
Companies carried with this story
- DIA Spdr Dow Jones Industrial Average Etf Trust
Spdr Dow Jones Industrial Average Etf Trust (DIA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 10 Nov 2026 story “Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes.” Reason on file: SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF: it is a broad US stock-market fund. Linked by “recession” (the broad US market) in this story
- QQQ Invesco Qqq Trust, Series 1
For “Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes,” Invesco Qqq Trust, Series 1 (QQQ) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Invesco QQQ: it is a broad US stock-market fund. Linked by “recession” (the broad US market) in this story
- IWM Ishares Tr
Ishares Tr (IWM) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 10 Nov 2026 story “Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes.” Reason on file: iShares Russell 2000 ETF: it is a broad US stock-market fund. Linked by “recession” (the broad US market) in this story
- RSP Invesco Exchange Traded Fd T
In “Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes,” Invesco Exchange Traded Fd T (RSP) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF: it is a broad US stock-market fund. Linked by “recession” (the broad US market) in this story
- VTI Vanguard Index Fds
Vanguard Index Fds (VTI) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 10 Nov 2026 story “Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes.” Reason on file: Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF: it is a broad US stock-market fund. Linked by “recession” (the broad US market) in this story
Spdr Dow Jones Industrial Average Etf Trust (DIA) and the defense link
Spdr Dow Jones Industrial Average Etf Trust (DIA) is the company in “Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes,” the 10 Nov 2026 Defense story.
The link for Spdr Dow Jones Industrial Average Etf Trust (DIA) is this: SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF: it is a broad US stock-market fund. Linked by “recession” (the broad US market) in this story
Also listed, Invesco Qqq Trust, Series 1 (QQQ): Invesco QQQ: it is a broad US stock-market fund. Linked by “recession” (the broad US market) in this story
Dates in the story, and the Spdr Dow Jones Industrial Average Etf Trust (DIA) price range
DIA traded between 504.92 and 522.62 across 13 sessions. The latest close on file is 515.65. IWM traded between 269.88 and 285.25 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 279.20. QQQ traded between 680.34 and 757.18 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 685.32.
A simple score for Spdr Dow Jones Industrial Average Etf Trust (DIA)
40 out of 100
“Meet Wall Street's Safest Dividend Stocks: 3 Companies That Have Paid Through Recessions, Wars and Market Crashes” scores 40 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 5 linked companies.