Investing in Top Consumer Discretionary Stocks

By Jeremy Bowman – Updated Oct 28, 2025 at 5:45 PM | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Consumer discretionary stocks thrive in strong economies but struggle during downturns.
Top brands in this sector often rebound well from recessions due to strong brand equity.
Investing focuses on well-known companies like Nike and Disney for long-term growth.

When it comes to shopping, there are things you need and things that are just nice to have. The consumer discretionary sector is in that second category. It includes goods and services that people spend money on when they have a little extra cash available, such as travel, dining at restaurants, or fashion and jewelry.

Consumer discretionary stocks refer to the stocks of companies that make money from consumer discretionary goods. They could be manufacturers, wholesalers, or retailers.

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A building stretching into the sky with a digital sign that reads Consumer Discretionary and shows tickers and stock prices. — Image source: Getty Images.

Unlike consumer staples companies, which make necessities, consumer discretionary stocks tend to do well when the economy is strong and poorly when times are tough. Keep reading to learn about the consumer discretionary sector and some top stocks to consider.

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Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market cap	Industry
Nike (NYSE:NKE)	$101.4 billion	Textiles, Apparel and Luxury Goods
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)	$99.1 billion	Hotels, Restaurants and Leisure
McDonald's (NYSE:MCD)	$221.2 billion	Hotels, Restaurants and Leisure
TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX)	$159.5 billion	Specialty Retail
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)	$202.0 billion	Entertainment

Data as of Oct 28, 2025.

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NYSE: NKE

Nike

Today's Change

(-1.74%) $-1.19

Current Price

$67.40

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$101B

Day's Range

$67.05 - $68.61

52wk Range

$52.28 - $82.44

Volume

466K

Avg Vol

13M

Gross Margin

41.45%

Dividend Yield

0.02%

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2. Starbucks

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NASDAQ: SBUX

Starbucks

Today's Change

(-2.05%) $-1.79

Current Price

$85.43

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$99B

Day's Range

$85.31 - $87.54

52wk Range

$75.50 - $117.46

Volume

12M

Avg Vol

9.8M

Gross Margin

17.35%

Dividend Yield

0.03%

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NYSE: MCD

McDonald's

Today's Change

(-1.16%) $-3.60

Current Price

$306.40

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$221B

Day's Range

$306.32 - $310.58

52wk Range

$276.53 - $326.32

Volume

2.3M

Avg Vol

3.1M

Gross Margin

56.73%

Dividend Yield

0.02%

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NYSE: TJX

TJX Companies

Today's Change

(0.53%) $0.76

Current Price

$144.03

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$159B

Day's Range

$142.27 - $144.05

52wk Range

$111.73 - $146.46

Volume

3.6M

Avg Vol

4.9M

Gross Margin

30.62%

Dividend Yield

0.01%

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NYSE: DIS

Walt Disney

Today's Change

(-0.61%) $-0.69

Current Price

$111.65

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$202B

Day's Range

$111.46 - $112.48

52wk Range

$80.10 - $124.69

Volume

6.8M

Avg Vol

8.1M

Gross Margin

31.80%

Dividend Yield

0.01%

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About the Author

Jeremy Bowman has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst, covering technology, consumer goods, and macroeconomic trends since 2011. Before The Motley Fool, Jeremy was a newspaper reporter, restaurant manager, and English teacher abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Colorado College and a master’s degree in business administration from American University. One of his Motley Fool headlines was briefly featured on Late Night with Stephen Colbert.

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Jeremy Bowman has positions in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Nike, Starbucks, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill, Deckers Outdoor, Nike, On Holding, Starbucks, TJX Companies, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short December 2025 $45 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.