That may be changing as many tourists are taking a taste back with them.  

But if you see the world through the eyes of an investor, as I do, there’s an opportunity happening in two stocks. One is Kraft Heinz (NYSE: KHC). The company has worked out an arrangement with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to create a ranch “travel kit.”  

As someone who cut his teeth in marketing, I appreciate the hustle. But as an investor, it still doesn’t make KHC very tasty. 

There is another name to consider, and it may be a surprise to many of you, Clorox (NYSE: CLX). The company is the parent company of the Hidden Valley Ranch. Really, it is and has been since the early 1970s. The company has also been making an effort to showcase its brand.  

It’s a hidden part of the company’s portfolio, but it may steer some investors to take a closer look at the stock. But what will they find?  

Two High Yields, Two Very Different Stories 

Let me get real with you for a second. I don’t advocate buying KHC or CLX as part of your growth portfolio. These stocks aren’t built for that. The total return in CLX over the last 10 years is poor, but KHC is worse. 

No, investors aren’t buying these stocks for growth. But they each have a redeeming quality, which is a high-yield dividend. As of the market close on June 25, the dividend for Clorox sat at 5.2%. But Kraft Heinz offered a dividend yield of 6.82%. Pretty tempting, right?  

This is one time where bigger isn’t better. By other measures, including the payout per share and the number of years of consecutive dividend growth, Clorox is the better dividend stock to own. Yes, the dividend being supported by 50% of cash flow is a bit steep, but it’s not alarming, and with 47 years of dividend increases, the company is just three years away from joining the elite category of Dividend Kings.  

Why Kraft Heinz’s High Dividend Yield Comes With Risk

Kraft Heinz tells a different story. The 7%-plus yield looks generous on paper. But KHC’s dividend has actually declined over the past decade. 

The company has paid $0.40 per quarter for several years running. That works out to $1.60 annually. The streak of consecutive increases sits at one year. 

The financials are worse. KHC posted a $5.85 billion net loss in 2025 on a 3.5% revenue decline. Full-year loss per share came in at $4.93. 

Berkshire Hathaway, which helped engineer the 2015 merger, took a $3.76 billion write-down on its stake last year. KHC shares are down roughly 60% from where they started after the deal closed. 

Management has been in turnaround mode for years. A planned spinoff announced in September 2025 was paused in February. New CEO Steve Cahillane is now directing about $600 million toward fixing the business rather than splitting it. 

How Hidden Valley Ranch Could Support Clorox Stock 

Hidden Valley Ranch sits inside Clorox’s Lifestyle segment. It’s a small piece of a company best known for bleach. But it’s an underrated brand asset. 

The Ranch-bassador program reportedly drew more than 6,000 applications. Two duos are now traveling Europe, putting ranch on everything from Italian pizza to fish and chips. World Cup tourists are doing some of that marketing work for free. 

This isn’t going to move CLX earnings next quarter. But it plants a flag in a market that has barely heard of ranch dressing. Building brand awareness abroad is how single-country products become global ones. 

By contrast, Clorox generates cash from categories with sticky, recurring demand. Cleaning products, cat litter, water filtration, and salad dressings show up in households regardless of the broader economic climate. That’s the kind of revenue mix that supports a dividend through cycles. 

What Are the Biggest Risks for Clorox Stock? 

Clorox isn’t without issues. The company recently announced a simplified operating structure aimed at accelerating growth. The board is also running a comprehensive CEO search. 

Leadership transitions can be bumpy. CLX has a 52-week range that has seen yields swing between roughly 4% and 7.3%. That tells you sentiment has been choppy. 

Even so, the math holds. CLX trades near $94 with a beta of 0.645, meaning it moves less than the broader market. The five-year average yield of 3.31% sits well below today’s level, so income buyers are getting paid more than usual to wait. 

Should Investors Buy Clorox or Kraft Heinz? 

The ranch wars make for a fun headline. The dividend story is the real signal. 

KHC’s nearly 7% yield reflects a stock the market doesn’t trust. CLX’s 5%-plus yield is paired with a 47-year track record of raising the payout. One is risk-as-reward. The other is a Dividend Aristocrat that will be getting its Dividend King crown shortly. 

There’s also a behavioral edge. KHC’s higher yield will continue to attract reach-for-income buyers. CLX’s lower yield and longer streak attract reliability-first buyers. Over a five- to ten-year hold, the latter group has historically come out ahead. 

Kraft Heinz can give visitors a travel kit. Clorox owns the brand that passive income investors are actually trying to bring home. 

Dividend Aristocrats are widely considered some of the highest-quality companies in the market. To earn this title, a company must have increased its dividend payouts for at least 25 consecutive years. Dividend Kings take that standard even further. These elite companies have raised their dividends for 50 years or more, proving their resilience across multiple economic cycles.

What makes these companies particularly compelling is their ability to perform in virtually any environment. Whether facing inflation, recessions, rising interest rates, market crashes, or economic booms, they have consistently rewarded shareholders with growing income. That kind of durability is rare—and valuable. It also reflects strong management teams, disciplined capital allocation, and business models built to withstand long-term pressure.

Simply put, if a company can survive decades of economic uncertainty and still pay—and raise—dividends, it deserves attention.

There’s just one drawback: there isn’t currently a dedicated ETF focused solely on Dividend Kings. That means investors looking for exposure must either purchase individual stocks or turn to ETFs that emphasize similar high-quality, dividend-growing companies.

Here are three strong ETF options to consider.

A Pure Play on Dividend Aristocrats

The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (BATS: NOBL) offers direct exposure to companies that have increased dividends for at least 25 consecutive years.

With an expense ratio of 0.35% and a yield of approximately 2.05%, NOBL tracks the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index. The fund focuses on stable, high-quality businesses with long track records of dividend growth—many of which have been increasing payouts for 40 years or more.

Its holdings include well-known companies such as Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Pentair (NYSE: PNR), AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), Aflac (NYSE: AFL), General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), Clorox (NYSE: CLX), Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT), and Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL).

These companies have demonstrated consistent performance and income reliability, making NOBL a strong choice for conservative, income-focused investors.

Low-Cost Exposure to High-Quality Value Stocks

Another solid option is the Schwab U.S. Large Cap Value ETF (NYSEARCA: SCHV), which focuses on large-cap value stocks.

SCHV stands out for its ultra-low expense ratio of just 0.04%, making it one of the most cost-effective ETFs available. It also offers a yield of about 1.85% and provides exposure to a diversified basket of financially strong companies.

Top holdings include Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), AbbVie, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), and Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK).

High Yield Meets Dividend Growth Discipline

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA: SCHD) is another popular choice among income investors. With an expense ratio of 0.06% and a yield of roughly 3.5%, SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. The ETF focuses on companies with strong fundamentals, sustainable dividends, and a history of consistent payouts.

Its holdings include industry leaders such as Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN), AbbVie, Home Depot, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ; CSCO), Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO), Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX), United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS), and The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO).

SCHD is particularly appealing for investors seeking a blend of income, quality, and long-term growth potential.

Dividend ETFs Offer Stability in Any Market

In uncertain markets, stability and income become even more important. Dividend-focused ETFs—especially those emphasizing companies with long histories of growing payouts—can help anchor your portfolio.

These funds don’t just provide income—they offer exposure to businesses that have proven their ability to navigate inflation, recessions, and shifting interest rate environments. That kind of consistency can reduce volatility while still allowing for long-term capital appreciation.

While no ETF is exclusively dedicated to Dividend Kings, funds like NOBL, SCHV, and SCHD give investors access to many of the same high-quality characteristics: strong balance sheets, disciplined management, and shareholder-friendly capital allocation.

For investors looking to balance risk and reward, these ETFs can serve as a core portfolio holding—delivering both reliability and growth potential over time.

However, as any investor holding pharmacy and flu-related, coughing-and-sniffling remedy stocks will tell you, it can be one of the most predictable seasonal opportunities of the year.

The flu is more than a public health issue. It’s a recurring demand driver for consumer staples, pharmacies, and healthcare providers. Every year, rising infection rates lead to higher spending on disinfectants, over-the-counter remedies, prescriptions, and in-store clinic visits. That makes flu season an underappreciated tailwind for certain defensive, dividend-paying stocks.

For the 2023-2024 season, the CDC estimated 40 million illnesses, 470,000 hospitalizations, and 28,000 deaths. For the 2024-2025 season, the CDC estimated 9.3 million to 41 million illnesses, 120,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations, and 6,300 to 52,000 deaths. 

For the 2025-2026 season, cases are mounting.

According to ABC News, the CDC estimates there have been at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations, and 3,100 deaths from flu so far this season. At least 20 states are reporting “very high” respiratory illness activity, spanning much of the Midwest, Northeast, and South.

That backdrop creates a compelling case for investors looking to add defensive exposure with income. Two stocks that stand out heading into peak flu season are The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) and CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS).

Clorox (CLX): A Defensive Dividend Stock With Seasonal Tailwinds

Clorox is best known for its namesake disinfecting wipes and bleach products, but the company’s portfolio extends far beyond cleaning. Brands like Pine-Sol, Burt’s Bees, Glad, Hidden Valley, Kingsford, and Brita give Clorox broad exposure to everyday consumer spending.

During flu season, however, Clorox’s cleaning and disinfecting products take center stage. Heightened awareness around germs typically leads to increased household and institutional spending on wipes, sprays, and surface cleaners—categories where Clorox commands strong brand loyalty and pricing power.

From an income perspective, CLX is particularly compelling right now. Shares currently offer a dividend yield of approximately 4.9%, well above the company’s long-term average. That yield reflects not just generous shareholder returns, but also how far the stock has fallen.

At around $101 per share, Clorox stock is deeply oversold relative to historical levels. Inflation-driven cost pressures and execution issues hurt sentiment over the last two years, but margins have begun to stabilize as pricing actions take hold and input costs moderate.

Seasonality is another factor working in Clorox’s favor. Going back to 2021, CLX has frequently rallied during the fall and early winter months:

• 2022: CLX climbed from roughly $141 in October to over $158
• 2023: Shares ran from about $114 to $146
• 2024: CLX advanced from around $153 to $163

The 2025 seasonal rally failed to materialize, leaving the stock lagging its typical pattern. That deviation may actually create opportunity, particularly if investors rotate into defensive names as economic uncertainty persists.

For long-term investors, Clorox offers a blend of recession resistance, seasonal demand, and income stability. While it may not be a high-growth stock, CLX fits well for portfolios seeking yield and downside protection during volatile markets.

CVS Health (CVS): Flu Season Drives Foot Traffic and Cash Flow

CVS Health offers a different—but equally compelling—way to play flu season. As one of the largest pharmacy operators in the U.S., CVS sits at the intersection of prescriptions, vaccinations, clinics, and health insurance.

Flu season directly boosts CVS’s core pharmacy business. Increased demand for flu shots, COVID boosters, antiviral prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications drives higher store traffic. That foot traffic often leads to incremental purchases across front-of-store items, improving overall revenue per visit.

CVS’s MinuteClinic and HealthHUB locations further amplify this effect. These in-store clinics make CVS a convenient destination for flu testing, vaccinations, and basic care. Those services are in high demand during peak respiratory illness season.

Despite these structural advantages, CVS stock has been under pressure. Concerns around reimbursement rates, integration of acquisitions, and healthcare cost trends have weighed on shares. However, that pessimism may be overdone.

At current levels, CVS trades at a single-digit forward earnings multiple and offers a dividend yield north of 4%. Management has reiterated its commitment to the dividend, supported by strong operating cash flow from its pharmacy benefits management (PBM) and insurance segments.

From a seasonal standpoint, CVS has historically performed well heading into and during flu season as investors anticipate higher prescription volumes and clinic utilization. While CVS isn’t a pure seasonal trade, flu season acts as a reliable catalyst that highlights the company’s recurring revenue model.

For investors willing to tolerate near-term headlines, CVS offers a combination of value, income, and healthcare defensiveness that’s hard to ignore.

Bottom Line: Flu Season Stocks Can Offer Defensive Growth and Income

Flu season may be miserable for consumers, but it often creates predictable demand for certain healthcare and consumer staple companies. That demand can translate into stronger revenues, steadier cash flow, and more resilient stock performance during uncertain markets.

Clorox provides exposure to household cleaning essentials with a historically high dividend yield and seasonal upside potential. CVS Health offers a broader healthcare platform that benefits from increased prescriptions, vaccinations, and clinic visits as flu cases rise.

For investors looking to add defensive, dividend-paying stocks to their portfolios, flu season could be the right time to act—and these two stocks may offer the right prescription.