Defensive Stocks Retail Investors Are Watching for Steadier Returns

With futures pointing lower after fresh headlines on Iran and early weakness in broad market ETFs, investors are once again being reminded how quickly sentiment can shift. Periods like this often send money in search of steadier ideas that can hold up when headlines turn rough. This article looks at three stocks exposed to the latest news and sitting in a Defensive Stocks screener that some investors use to balance risk and opportunity.

The three stocks covered below are just a sample from this idea, and the full screen also surfaced 8 more companies that some investors watch for similarly resilient business models, income profiles and balance sheets that are not discussed in this article. To see the wider field and quickly identify which ones fit your own risk and income needs, head straight to the Defensive Stocks screener.

Ansell (ASX:ANN)

Ansell is a global supplier of hand and body protection, selling surgical and examination gloves, cleanroom gear and industrial protective clothing to hospitals, labs and heavy industry. It generates about US$1.1b from Healthcare products and roughly US$900 million from Industrial protections, giving it two sizeable and diversified lines of revenue. On the market side, Ansell sits at around A$4.8b in value, putting it in mid-cap territory on the ASX.

Ansell attracts attention in a risk-off market because its products sit at the crossroads of healthcare demand and worker safety, areas that tend to stay relevant regardless of headlines about Iran or broader market swings. The company has been lifting profitability, with net margins around 6.7% and earnings growth that has recently outpaced the local market, while still trading on a P/E that is lower than many domestic peers. Against that, investors need to weigh a funding structure that relies heavily on external borrowing and the impact of a recent A$75.2 million non-recurring loss. With new CFO Erik Van den Enden, who brings fresh capital allocation experience, investors are presented with a defensive stock that has real opportunities and some important questions that deserve a closer look.

Ansell’s earnings are already running ahead of the local market and its P/E still sits below many peers, which raises an obvious question. See how the DCF valuation analysis for Ansell could reshape the risk story investors think they know.

Build your own shortlist of defensive stocks like Ansell

Ansell and the two other stocks in this article all surfaced from a single screen, but the real edge comes when you tailor the filters to your own risk, income and quality preferences. Use our flexible Screener to mix metrics like valuation, earnings, balance sheet strength and dividends, or jump straight into our curated Investing Ideas.

Craneware (AIM:CRW)

Craneware builds healthcare financial software that helps U.S. hospitals manage pricing, billing, medication reimbursement and workforce productivity on its Trisus platform. The company generates about US$211 million from Healthcare Software, almost entirely in the United States, giving it a focused but deeply embedded position in hospital revenue integrity. On the market side, Craneware is valued at roughly £446 million, which puts it in mid cap territory on the AIM market.

Craneware sits squarely in the type of defensive healthcare exposure many investors look for when geopolitical headlines push markets into risk off mode. Hospitals still need to keep the billing and medication revenue cycle running accurately, and Craneware’s Trisus suite and new Medication Reimbursement Intelligence offering are built for exactly that task. The company combines recurring software revenue, earnings growth and analyst expectations for further revenue expansion, yet carries trade offs such as a funding structure reliant on external borrowing, a dividend that is not well covered by free cash flow and a share price that has been volatile. Understanding how those strengths and pressure points line up against the current analyst targets and forecast growth profile is where the Craneware story becomes more interesting for long term defensive investors.

Craneware’s recurring hospital software revenue and forecast growth expectations are only half the story. See how the analyst forecasts for Craneware ties those forecasts to one underappreciated pressure point that could change the risk profile.

EBOS Group (NZSE:EBO)

EBOS Group is a long established distributor and marketer of healthcare, pharmaceutical and animal care products across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, from hospital logistics and pharmacy software to clinical trial support and pet nutrition. The business is heavily skewed to Healthcare, which generates about A$12.2b in revenue, with Animal Care contributing around A$820 million. On the market side, EBOS Group is valued at roughly NZ$4.5b, placing it firmly in large cap territory on the NZX.

EBOS Group often sits on watchlists when investors want steady healthcare exposure during periods of geopolitical stress, and the latest Iran headlines are a reminder of why. You have a distributor tied into essential medicines and an aging population theme, a multi year logistics upgrade that could lower costs once spending normalises, and a share price that screens as cheap on some valuation tools. Set against that are slimmer net margins, high debt and a dividend that is not comfortably covered, which leave little room for missteps. The AGM on 21 October 2026 will be an important checkpoint for how new management balances that trade off between growth, balance sheet risk and shareholder payouts.

EBOS Group’s essential healthcare footprint and aging population exposure can look like a simple defensive story, yet the high debt and tight dividend cover tell a sharper tale. Read the analysis report for EBOS Group for the twist investors often miss.

Seeking Fresh Alternatives Before They Fly

Some of the most interesting stocks often move from quiet accumulation to breakout momentum before most investors even notice. Do not get caught dropping in late while it still matters; review your options in advance.

• Spot companies quietly building momentum by scanning the curated 12 high quality undiscovered gems before they move out of reach and the earliest entry points change.
• Create a shortlist of cash generative businesses with strong fundamentals by filtering through the hand picked list of solid balance sheet and fundamentals (19 results) while they are still under the radar.
• Follow the next wave of AI adoption with established operators supporting the infrastructure behind it by focusing on the targeted 56 AI infrastructure stocks before attention broadens.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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