Most investors know Woolworths and Commonwealth Bank of Australia are some of the most reliable earners listed on the ASX. That’s a big reason why they are considered the bluest of blue-chip stocks. But if a steady earnings profile makes a blue-chip stock, then the list would extend beyond the top 50 to include other names – some better known than others – such as Carsales.com, Mermaid Marine, Silver Chef and Corporate Travel Management.

What most investors want when they buy shares in a company is exposure to a business that’s on a firm financial footing, a history of steady earnings growth, and decent prospects – all at a reasonable price. Sounds simple, really – except we all know it’s not.

A consistent performer: JB Hi-Fi. Credit:Glenn Hunt

But we’ve tried to make things a little bit easier for you by measuring the stability of earnings, operating income and dividends paid of each and every one of the biggest 300 listed companies by market capitalisation, to come up with a short list of the businesses that have had the steadiest earnings profile over the past 10 years.

As you can see from the table, there are a couple of the 13 names that have had less than a decade of earnings experience – Carsales with eight and Corporate Travel Management with five – but we’ve decided to include them on the basis that they score highly and a record of five years is enough to get a handle on how reliable an earner a business is.