While growth-focused public companies tend to attract the most attention on Wall Street, safe stocks also present a viable pathway to long-term success. Yes, these ideas might be boring – no, they are boring. We’re talking about entities that like insurance companies, consumer goods, critical services: yes, they’re important but they’re not what you would call sexy.

Still, if you keep targeting growth names, chances are quite high that you’ll eventually encounter some serious regrets. It’s just like a football game. In certain situations, it may be worthwhile to go for it on fourth down; heck, in some cases, you might be forced to do so. But generally speaking, you punt the ball and give your defense some breathing room.

Maybe it doesn’t seem “manly” or whatever. But at the end of the day, you want to win ballgames. You don’t do that by being foolish. Plus, with the current circumstances of contentious politics and geopolitical flashpoints, some conservative play calling may go a long way. With that, below are safe stocks to consider.

Colgate-Palmolive (CL)

A global consumer products company, Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) makes for an excellent canvas for safe stocks to buy. Primarily, the company is best known for its namesake toothcare and soap products. However, it’s also known for its detergents and pet nutrition products, among several other categories. No, none of these products are what you call enticing. But we all need them and that’s what makes CL stock powerful.

Another element to consider is the financial resilience. In the past year since the second quarter, the company posted an average earnings per share of 88 cents. This figure beat the collective consensus view of 83 cents, yielding an earnings surprise of 5.18%. It’s also worth pointing out that Colgate beat every quarter in the year.

That kind of performance comes at a cost. Right now, shares trade at 28.74x forward earnings and 4.15x trailing-year sales. Both stats are elevated from what we’ve seen the market support in the past year. However, analysts anticipate steady business expansion.

By the end of fiscal 2025, EPS could rise to $3.88 on sales of $20.96 billion. Last year, Colgate posted EPS of $3.23 on sales of $19.46 billion. Thus, it’s one of the safe stocks to consider.

Travelers Companies (TRV)

Operating in the property and casualty insurance segment, Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) is about as boring as you can get. However, it’s also one of the most important safe stocks to buy. As a leading provider of insurance services, Travelers brings both a diversified product portfolio combined with high predictability. Irrespective of economic conditions, people generally seek protection of their most-important assets.

Along with this relevant business profile is a strong financial backbone. In the past four quarters, Travelers posted an average EPS of $4.04. This figure beat the consensus view of $3.75, yielding an earnings surprise of 6.25%. What made the matter more impressive is that in Q3, the insurance giant suffered a major blow.

Attractively, TRV stock trades at a reasonable valuation at 1.16x sales. In the past year, the market supported a valuation of 1.12x. Looking ahead to the end of the year, analysts anticipate that sales will reach $43.51 billion, up 8.2% from last year. Also, in fiscal 2025, revenue might land at $46.55 billion, up 7%.

Visa (V)

A giant in the financial services industry, Visa (NYSE:V) is best known for providing credit, debit and prepaid payment cards. With cash steadily being phased out of the modern economy, entities like Visa should broadly benefit. However, the company has made some investments to bolster its services and expand its global network. Combined with potential interest rate cuts in the future, Visa ranks among the top safe stocks.

In the past four quarters since Q2, the finance giant posted an average EPS of $2.37. This tally beat the consensus view of $2.31, yielding an earnings surprise of 2.45%. It’s not a particularly impressive performance. And to be fair, in Q2, Visa only managed to meet the expected target of $2.42. Still, the business is delivering the goods.

However, the “penalty” for Visa’s various improvements is the valuation. At 15.4x sales, it’s not cheap. Still, in the past year, the market accepted a multiple of 16.22x.

Helping matters is the expert consensus view of $35.8 billion in sales for fiscal 2024. That’s up 20.2% from last year, making Visa an attractive idea for safe stocks.

Blackstone (BX)

Falling under the asset management industry, Blackstone (NYSE:BX) represents one of the world’s largest alternative investment firms. It focuses on private equity, real estate, credit and hedge fund strategies. Usually, you don’t see names like Blackstone included in a list of safe stocks. However, because of its diversified portfolio and ability to generate consistent returns, BX could be quite attractive.

Financially, the company tends to see an ebb and flow. Yes, it must be stated that on average, the past four quarters saw an EPS of $1. That was above the consensus view of 98 cents, thus yielding an earnings beat of 2.5%. However, there were misses in Q3 of last year and most recently in Q2.

Presently, BX stock trades hands at 12.54x sales. That’s pricey but relatively discounted compared to the prior year’s metric of 12.9x. Moving forward, analysts believe that year-end sales could land at $11.96 billion. If so, that would be up 23.4% from the prior year’s haul of $9.69 billion. Fiscal 2025 sales could rise to $14.67 billion, up 22.6%.

Public Storage (PSA)

Structured as a real estate investment trust or REIT, Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) invests in its namesake industry: self-storage units. One of the benefits of the enterprise is that people always find need for storage. For example, baby boomers looking to downsize may rent storage to safeguard heirlooms. On the other end, young couples may also be forced to downsize, thus seeking storage for bulky items.

Financially, Public Storage is generally consistent. In the past four quarters, it posted an average EPS of $2.67. This figure beat the consensus view of $2.65, yielding an earnings surprise of 0.63%. That said, the REIT incurred a sizable miss in Q4. So, it’s not entirely without risk.

Also, PSA stock is quite pricey at 11.57x sales. It is a modest discount, though, to the prior year’s average of 11.73x. Looking out to year’s end, analysts anticipate that revenue will hit $4.69 billion, up 3.8% from last year. Sales may expand again to $4.9 billion, up 4.5%.

Combined with a generous forward dividend yield of 3.94%, PSA ranks among the top safe stocks to consider.

Duke Energy (DUK)

One of the biggest electric power holding firms in the U.S., Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) provides electricity and natural gas services to millions of customers across multiple states. Fundamentally, one of the most attractive elements of DUK in the context of safe stocks is the geographic implications. Many of the covered states – such as the Carolinas – are popular with young people.

In other words, Duke is positioned where the money will be. With so many struggling under the weight of inflation and high borrowing costs, we can expect a migration from pricey metropolitan areas to more rural regions. That should benefit DUK stock.

To be fair, Duke has been somewhat inconsistent in terms of earnings performances. In the past year, the company posted an average EPS of $1.45, missing the consensus view of $1.46. Still, investors should note that Duke offers a forward dividend yield of 3.8%.

For fiscal 2024, EPS may rise 7.4% to $5.97. On the top line, Duke posted sales of $30.07 billion, up 3.5% from the prior year. Therefore, it’s an attractive idea for your portfolio.

Grocery Outlet (GO)

To be completely upfront, Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) is a mixed idea among safe stocks to consider. On one hand, the narrative is effective timeless. Operating a network of independently operated grocery stores, Outlet brings to the table deep discounts and overstocked and/or closeout products. Saving money in this environment is always welcome.

However, the market performance of GO stock leaves plenty of doubts. Since the beginning of the year, shares suffered a sizable drop of 28%. In the past year, the equity is down almost 42%. Now, I believe in the grocery industry as a natural source for safe stocks. Given the red ink in Outlet, investors may prefer Kroger (NYSE:KR) or a similar reliable entity.

That said, for those who want to take a risk, GO stock currently trades hands at 0.52x trailing-year revenue. In the past year, this metric stood at 0.75x. Can the company grow into its prior valuation? That’s what analysts believe.

Over the next two years, experts project business expansion. By the end of fiscal 2025, EPS may be $1.16 on sales of $4.76 billion. That’s up from last year’s results of $1.07 on sales of $3.97 billion.

On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

On the date of publication, the responsible editor did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.