3 Unstoppable Value Stocks to Buy in September (1 Yields 7.3%)

Consumer goods may not be the most exciting corner of the market, but that's part of their appeal. While investors these days chase the next big technology story, some of the more interesting opportunities can be hiding in plain sight. They're hiding in companies that generate cash, pay dividends, and make investments that could take a few years to fully pay off.

Here are three value stocks to consider for September.

1. Universal Corporation keeps stretching a 56-year dividend streak

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a business-to-business agri-products company best known for sourcing and processing leaf tobacco, but the part worth watching is its plant-based ingredients arm, which turns fruits, vegetables, and botanicals into juices, concentrates, extracts, and flavorings for food, beverage, and pet-food makers. In May, the board declared its 56th consecutive annual dividend increase, lifting the quarterly payout to $0.83 per share. The shares now yield roughly 7.3%. A streak that long makes this ticker a Dividend King, which is a company that has delivered 50 or more years of consecutive dividend increases.

Image source: Getty Images.

Universal's ingredient business is under pressure as sluggish demand for consumer packaged goods and the higher fixed costs tied to its own expansion weigh on margins. Tobacco volumes are not providing much growth, either. This company had weak first-quarter results.

Investors buying the stock today are largely being paid to wait, through the dividend, for an ingredients strategy to begin delivering meaningful results. Regardless, this company and its consistent dividend are too good to pass up at such a high yield.

2. Hamilton Beach Brands rents other people's brands

Hamilton Beach Brands (NYSE: HBB) designs and distributes small appliances without owning heavy factories, and it has assembled a portfolio of licensed and partnered names. Think CHI garment care, Clorox home appliances, Numilk plant-based milk makers, and Sunkist commercial juicers.

Hamilton's business strategy gives it a risk- and capital-light way to reach new customers and retail shelves by selling products under brands consumers already know, but those agreements can expire and take revenue with them, as happened with Bartesian at the end of 2025. The company's board raised its quarterly dividend 4.2% in May to $0.125 per share. Its second-quarter results looked exceptional, with revenue rising 11.6% to $142.6 million. But those figures were heavily boosted by a $36.5 million tariff refund .

When evaluating this company, it's important to look beyond the temporary tariff benefits. The refund improved Hamilton Beach's cash position and gives management more room to invest in advertising, but investors should focus on the long term and on whether sales volumes recover and margins return to normal, rather than treating the quarter's headline profit as a new baseline.

3. John B. Sanfilippo & Son bets $90 million on bars

John B. Sanfilippo & Son (NASDAQ: JBSS), a 104-year-old nut processor, is making the largest capital investment in its history -- roughly $90 million for two high-speed production lines (known as bar lines) inside its Elgin, Illinois, headquarters, built into 300,000 square feet of former warehouse space. According to Investing.com, management told investors the lines run at 2,000 bars per minute and could support about $300 million in incremental sales as capacity fills over three to four years.

This stock is a high-value risk, in my opinion, because it is handing the CEO job to Jasper Sanfilippo just as it launches all this new bar capacity, which must be sold to retailers over the next several years, according to the company's own management. Jasper is not an unknown quantity; he has been COO for two decades , but he takes over on Oct. 1 just as the first line begins production.

I like the risk and reward here: JBSS has a strong balance sheet, a century-long track record, and deep relationships with major retailers. The company is also using AI initiatives to reduce costs and support plant research.

So, why buy these three tickers now? September can present some market drawbacks, and it may be a good time to buy into unglamorous consumer names while their stories are still developing, especially for John B. Sanfilippo & Sons. These companies have dividends, new capacity, and operational improvements, which I think will provide catalysts that will pay off beyond the next quarterly report.

Micah Zimmerman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends John B. Sanfilippo & Son. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.