What are blue chip stocks?
Blue chip stocks are huge, well-established companies with popular brands and products like Apple, Amazon and Coca-Cola. These companies are financially sound, often have a market capitalization of billions of dollars or even trillions and have been around for decades. Some blue chip companies distribute dividends, another reason investors flock to their stocks.
How to invest in blue chip stocks in 5 easy steps
- Choose an online stock trading platform. Choose from our top picks or jump straight to the best stock trading apps of 2026.
- Sign up for an account. Provide your personal information and sign up.
- Set up a funding method to pay for the transaction. Deposit funds into your account by linking your banking information.
- Choose the stocks you want to buy. Search for the stock by name or ticker symbol.
- Place your order. Buy the stock. It’s that simple.
Our top picks for blue chip stock trading platforms
- Trade stocks, options, ETFs, mutual funds, alternative asset funds
- $0 commission on stocks, ETFs and options with no options contract fees
- Get up to $3,000 in stock when you open & fund a new Active Invest account. Valid until March 31, 2026.
- Access to a financial planner
1% ACAT Match Offer: Valid 02/17/26–03/31/26. Max match $1M. Applies to new/existing SoFi self-directed IRAs. Full terms: http://sofi.com/acatiraterms.
Terms and conditions apply*. For 401k rollovers, existing SoFi IRA members must complete 401k rollovers via this link See full terms and For SoFi members without a SoFi IRA, a SoFi IRA must first be opened, and 401k rollover must be completed utilizing Capitalize via this link. SoFi and Capitalize will charge no additional fees to process a 401(k) rollover to a SoFi IRA. SoFi is not liable for any costs incurred from the existing 401k provider for rollover. Please check with your 401k provider for any fees or costs associated with the rollover. For IRA contributions, only deposits made via ACH and cash transfer from SoFi Bank accounts are eligible for the match. Click here for the 1% Match terms and conditions.
Must be a SoFi Plus member at the time a recurring deposit is received into your SoFi Active or Automated investing account to qualify. Bonus calculated on net monthly recurring deposits made via ACH and paid out as Rewards Points. See Rewards Terms of Service. SoFi reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time without notice. See terms and limitations. https://www.sofi.com/sofiplus/invest/#disclaimers
Finder Reward
Get $100 from FinderT&Cs and limits apply.
- Trade stocks, options and ETFs without commissions and no options contract fees
- Earn 3.9% annual interest on options balances
- Copy investors' portfolios with eToro's innovative CopyTrader
- Trade leading cryptocurrencies including BTC and ETH
- Trade stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, treasuries and more
- $0 commission on online stock and ETF trades
- Earn a cash bonus up to $1,000 when you open and fund a new account
- Get the best of both worlds on the Chase Mobile® app or chase.com
- Trade US stocks and ETFs with $0 commissions
- Invest alongside crypto in one unified Kraken account
- Fractional shares available for flexible portfolio building
- Access advanced trading tools and real-time analytics with Kraken Pro
Blue chip stocks list
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 also qualify as blue chips. Below is a list of over 40 blue chip stock companies broken down by industry.
Technology companies
The FAANG stocks — which are made up of 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:
Banking and financial services
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:
Manufacturing
The products and brands that many Americans across generations have grown up knowing sustained growth and success, including:
Oil, gas and mining
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:
Retail and restaurants
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:
Blue chip exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
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.
Check out Finder's picks for the best brokerage accounts
Compare top brokerage accounts and apps to help you maximize your investment.
Frequently asked questions about blue chip stocks
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 are typically considered blue chip stocks companies.
- Blue chip companies often distribute dividends to investors.
Paid non-client promotion. Finder does not invest money with providers on this page. If a brand is a referral partner, we're paid when you click or tap through to, open an account with or provide your contact information to the provider. Partnerships are not a recommendation for you to invest with any one company. Learn more about how we make money.
Finder is not an advisor or brokerage service. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. All editorial opinions are our own.
Ask a question
More guides on Finder
-
TradeUP Review 2026: A Global, Active-Trader Broker Taking Aim at US Giants
An in-depth 2026 review of TradeUP’s zero-fee options, advanced trading tools and global access to US markets.
-
Best Brokerage Account Bonuses for March 2026
Explore the best bonuses for opening a new brokerage account.
-
Investing in railroad stocks
Railroad stocks can deliver large gains in a growing economy, but they can also be volatile.
-
Investing in Chinese stocks
Pros and cons to consider before investing in Chinese stocks.
-
Investing in virtual reality stocks
Pros and cons to consider before you invest in this groundbreaking tech.
-
Lithium stocks: How to invest, risks and market outlook
Lithium is a precious metal with increasing demand. Here’s what you should know before you invest.
-
Robotics Stocks: 10 Companies + ETFs to Watch in 2026
What investors should consider before adding robotics stocks to their portfolio.
-
Healthcare Stocks: Companies + ETFs to Watch in 2026
Pros and cons to consider before you invest in healthcare stocks or ETFs.
-
How to invest in penny stocks: Risks, tips and what to know
Learn what they are, how to find them and what you need to know before investing in them.
-
JP Morgan Self-Directed Investing Review
This account boasts commission-free trades and no minimums but has a low cash sweep rate.

