Blue chip stocks are huge, well-established companies with popular brands and products like Apple, Amazon and Coca-Cola. These companies often have a market capitalization of billions of dollars or even trillions, are financially sound and have been around for decades. Some blue chip companies distribute dividends, another reason investors flock to their stocks.
Fun fact: The term “blue chip stock” comes from poker where the blue chip was the highest value chip in a classic 3-color poker chipset.
Bottom line
Blue chip stocks represent the largest and most well-established companies with recognizable brands.
Companies with a market cap of over $200 billion USD are typically considered blue chip stocks companies.
Blue chip companies often distribute dividends to investors.
There’s no official blue chip stocks list, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which lists 30 prominent companies, is a good place to start. These companies are often regarded as some of the country’s most valuable and reliable heavyweights.
However, many others listed on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq would also qualify as blue chips.
Technology companies
The FAANG stocks — Meta (formerly Facebook), Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Alphabet (Google) — is one of the most popular groups of blue chip stocks that dominated the tech sector in the past 15 years. Other tech blue chip companies include:
Companies in the financial sector make up a portion of the blue chip classification. These companies tend to have a history of providing large dividends and include the major banks and credit card companies, including:
As drilling and mining is a cyclical industry, natural resource companies have the potential to provide high capital growth. But these can have a reputation for underperforming when the mining industry experiences a downturn. That said, companies that have diversified businesses firmly established across the nation include:
Retailers tend to offer medium-sized dividends to shareholders and are popular choices among investors. Also, popular restaurant chains have loyal followings that provide consistent profits. Blue chip stocks in this sector include:
An ETF is a fund that holds a basket of stocks. In this case, a basket of blue chip companies. The cool thing about ETFs is that they trade like stocks and you can buy them from any brokerage or a trading platform. This provides instant diversification to your portfolio without much effort.
Here are some popular blue chip ETFs:
SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA). An ETF that tracks the 30 blue chip companies in the Dow Jones
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY). An ETF that tracks the S&P 500 index, which includes stocks from the 500 largest publicly-traded companies in the country.
Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ). An ETF that tracks the NASDAQ 100, a tech-leaning index holding stocks from 100 of the biggest NASDAQ-listed companies.
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL). An ETF of 50 companies that have increased their dividends every year for more than 25 years
Why are blue chip stocks popular among investors?
Many successful long-term investors like Warren Buffett have advocated for investing in companies you believe will be around for a generation or two. The kind of stocks that tend to fit that description are the blue chips that continue to show steady returns. This may translate to consistently higher stock prices and consistent dividend payouts.
It’s a versatile combination that allows you to either reinvest those dividends and compound the earnings over time or take the dividends as a stream of passive income. On top of that, holding investments for the long term also has some significant tax advantages.
As for intangible benefits, investing in a company you can rely on for the long haul takes away much of the anxiety or worry an investor feels about a volatile stock market.
How to buy blue chip stocks
Choose a stock trading platform. The right platform will depend on your needs and investing experience.
Open your account. You’ll need an ID, bank details and Social Security number.
Confirm your payment details. You’ll need to fund your account with a bank transfer.
Find the stock you want to buy. Search the platform and buy your shares.
Our top picks for blue chip stock trading platforms
Our selection of top picks is based on the same criteria as our annual Stock Trading Platform Awards. This is updated yearly to reflect changes in the market.
"Best for" picks are those we've evaluated to be best for specific product features or categories – you can read our full methodology here. If we show a "Promoted" pick, it's been chosen from among our commercial partners and is based on factors that include special features or offers, and the commission we receive.
This isn't an exhaustive list of all the trading platforms out there. What's best for you depends on your own investing strategy, budget and financial goals.
Compare more stock trading platforms to buy blue chip stocks
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Frequently asked questions
Blue chip stocks are stocks from companies that have a higher market-cap, well-established brand and often share dividend payments.
This largely depends on your financial goal and how long you plan to hold the company. For example, if you're looking for a steady return, then value companies that offer dividend payments could be worth considering. If you're looking for a higher upside potential without dividends, then growth stocks are the ones to consider.
Yes. Coca-Cola has a market cap of over $200 billion and offers a 2.97% dividend yield. What's more, this is probably one of the most recognizable brand worldwide and its sales are less likely to be impacted regardless of the macroeconomic conditions.
Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of futures, stocks, ETFs, options or any specific provider, service or offering. It should not be relied upon as investment advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks, ETFs and options trading involves substantial risk of loss and therefore are not appropriate for all investors. Trading forex on leverage comes with a higher risk of losing money rapidly. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before making any trades.
Kylie Purcell is the senior investments editor at Finder. She has a background in business and finance news with previous roles at SBS, Your Money, TVNZ, Switzer Group and The Adviser magazine. Kylie has a Masters in International Journalism and a Graduate Diploma in Economics. When she's not writing about the markets you can find her bingeing on coffee.
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