We recently published a list of Top 10 High Dividend Yielding Consumer Defensive Stocks To Buy. In this article, we are going to take a look at where General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) stands against other top high dividend yielding consumer defensive stocks to buy.

Consumer defensive stocks tend to perform well in uncertain times because they sell essential items such as household products, healthcare items, and food and beverages, among others. Such companies also tend to have a strong pricing power which helps them to easily pass on increasing costs to consumers.

The US market continues to struggle due to concerns over tariffs, geopolitical issues, and politics. In such times, consumer defensive stocks offer a way to protect one’s portfolio from this uncertainty.

When such shares also offer a high dividend yield, it performs a killer combination, loved by defensive investors looking to park their money for reliable passive income. We therefore decided to come up with a list of the top 10 high-dividend-yielding consumer defensive stocks.

To come up with the list of top 10 high-dividend consumer defensive stocks, we only considered stocks from the consumer defensive sector with a market cap of at least $10 billion and a dividend yield of at least 4%.

A worker in a production facility packaging arbitrary food products, reflecting the company's commitment to comprehensive production standards.

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) is a marketer and manufacturer of branded consumer foods worldwide. It operates in International, North America Foodservice, North America Retail, and pet segments. The company provides ready-to-eat cereals, soup, refrigerated yogurt, refrigerated and frozen dough products, grain, and other products. It currently offers a healthy dividend yield of 4.09%.

With a dividend yield of over 4%, the stock is very attractive for dividend-focused investors. Thanks to a downturn since 2023, the dividend yield is at elevated levels compared to the recent past. General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) has shown its dedication to shareholder returns by returning $11.1 billion in the form of dividends and share buybacks from FY2019 to FY2024.

GIS stock has been underperforming recently, mainly due to its weak top-line and bottom-line growth. In Q3 2025, net sales were down by 5% YoY while adjusted diluted EPS also declined by 15%.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS) also updated its fiscal 2025 guidance and now expects a 2% to 1.5% decrease in organic net sales. Adjusted diluted EPS is also forecasted to drop by 8% to 7% in constant currency. There is considerable pessimism among investors when it comes to GIS but people taking a fresh entry in the stock are being presented with a great investing opportunity as a result.

Overall, GIS ranks 6th on our list of top high dividend yielding consumer defensive stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of GIS as a leading investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as GIS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.