It’s hard to tell what lies ahead for investors in 2025. Sure, the S&P 500 has tacked on about 25% so far in 2024, but concerns abound as we enter the new year.
A short list of challenges includes continued conflict in both Ukraine and Gaza, the threat of trade wars under President-elect Donald Trump, and fears that inflationary pressures will continue.
If planning for the next 12 months is difficult, doing so for the next 10 years is an even bigger feat. There is simply no telling what companies will fall out of favor or which startups will catch on. But one thing is a reasonably safe bet: Entrenched leaders with significant scale and a strong history of outperformance are the most likely contenders to be on top of Wall Street a decade down the road.
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The following nine stocks are among the best-positioned large-cap stocks to see continued success over the next decade:
| Stock | Sector | Market capitalization |
| Apple Inc. (ticker: AAPL) | Technology | $3.5 trillion |
| Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) | Consumer staples | $429 billion |
| DaVita Inc. (DVA) | Health care | $13.7 billion |
| MercadoLibre Inc. (MELI) | Consumer discretionary | $104 billion |
| Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) | Technology | $3.2 trillion |
| Netflix Inc. (NFLX) | Consumer discretionary | $369 billion |
| Palo Alto Networks Inc. (PANW) | Technology | $127 billion |
| SoFi Technologies Inc. (SOFI) | Financial | $17 billion |
| Tesla Inc. (TSLA) | Consumer discretionary | $1.1 trillion |
Apple Inc. (AAPL)
Market capitalization: $3.5 trillion Sector: Technology
Apple is the largest stock by market value right now, and it’s one of the most entrenched consumer technology firms on the planet. As an illustration of how big AAPL is, consider its massive war chest of more than $60 billion in cash and marketable securities. Though best known for its iconic iPhone, Apple has pushed into new areas such as payment processing, streaming media and other features that make up its fast-growing services segment. In fact, this services arm now accounts for more than $96 billion in annual revenue, or about 25% of its total top line. Shares of this long-term growth stock are up about 24% in the past year and have consistently outperformed the S&P 500 across the past few decades.
Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST)
Market cap: $429 billion Sector: Consumer staples
Consumer staples isn’t a particularly growth-oriented sector. But big-box leader Costco remains one of the best growth stocks for the next 10 years thanks to a track record of consistent revenue and profit expansion. Consider that top-line sales have surged from $152 billion in 2019 to a projected $273 billion in fiscal year 2025 — roughly 80% in six years. With a cult-like following for its Kirkland store brand products, along with more than 130 million members, this retailer has a firm foundation for continued growth across the next decade. And based on a 68% rise for shares in the past 12 months and a five-year return of more than 250%, shareholders can expect strong financial performance to result in strong stock performance, too.
DaVita Inc. (DVA)
Market cap: $13.7 billion Sector: Health care
A long-term growth trend for investors to watch is the continued rise of health care spending in the years ahead. Generally, prices for medical care grow significantly faster than the rate of inflation — and with demographic shifts both in the U.S. and abroad, there is a steadily increasing customer base for health care stocks. DaVita is a prime example of this opportunity, with a business focused on dialysis treatment for patients with chronic kidney conditions. More than half a million dialysis patients in the U.S. need regular care, meaning DVA has a big pool of patients depending on it. Shares are up about 60% in 2024, thanks in part to projections that earnings will grow 15% in fiscal year 2024 and then another 15% or so in 2025.
MercadoLibre Inc. (MELI)
Market cap: $104 billion Sector: Consumer discretionary
Often called the Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) of Latin America, fast-growing retailer MercadoLibre is one of the few stocks in the consumer discretionary sector that may have a reliable growth path ahead of it. Its internet marketplace dominates the most populous and lucrative regions in the area, including thriving city centers in Brazil and Argentina, and rapid expansion in the region is fueling more than 40% revenue growth this fiscal year — with predictions of more than 20% growth on top of that in 2025. Profitability is surging, too, with a forecasted 75% surge in earnings per share this year. Shares are up more than 250% in the past five years, compared with just 90% or so for the S&P 500 in the same period.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)
Market cap: $3.2 trillion Sector: Technology
If you want a long-term growth stock to invest in, it’s hard to imagine any tech company that’s more entrenched than enterprise software icon Microsoft. The company continues to grow despite its already amazing size. As proof, back in 2019, the company “only” had about $125 billion in revenue — and now it’s tracking almost $280 billion for fiscal 2025. A booming cloud and Azure business has fueled this growth. Wall Street is also very excited about Microsoft’s AI plans, including its Copilot technology and its investments in OpenAI, the firm that created ChatGPT. With current scale and continued future growth prospects, MSFT is a long-term growth stock to believe in.
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Netflix Inc. (NFLX)
Market cap: $369 billion Sector: Consumer discretionary
The biggest streaming service in the world, Netflix boasts about 280 million global paid subscribers — and counting. The firm made a name for itself by innovating with the first-ever mail-order DVD plan, then evolved into digital media services and eventually producing its own original content. This last effort is what really has set Netflix apart, as it has been able to keep existing subscribers, lure more viewers in and, most importantly, maintain pricing power by steadily raising subscription costs thanks to a deep library of in-demand content. Revenue is forecast to grow by double digits in 2024 and 2025, and earnings per share are set to surge more than 50% next year. Shares are up about 90% in the past year, proving investors believe in the tremendous upside potential of this long-term growth leader.
Palo Alto Networks Inc. (PANW)
Market cap: $127 billion Sector: Technology
Palo Alto is the largest dedicated U.S. cybersecurity stock by market value, and based on recent performance, it looks likely to remain dominant going forward. Revenue is set to grow 14% in 2025 and another 16% in 2026, with a similar growth path for profits. Generally, cybersecurity is a sure-thing business thanks to global concerns about hacking, ransomware and other challenges. PANW has helped key customers, from professional sports to Big Oil to fellow Silicon Valley megacaps, making it a go-to provider of this critical service. Shares are up an impressive 435% in the past five years, including a 47% run in the past 12 months to easily top the roughly 32% performance of the S&P 500 in the same period.
SoFi Technologies Inc. (SOFI)
Market cap: $17 billion Sector: Financials
Financial services is a corner of Wall Street more associated with value and dividends than long-term growth potential. After all, big banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) are already global powerhouses and regional banks tend to be decidedly local and limited in focus. But SoFi Technologies is unique in that it is a digitally native enterprise built for the future. Specifically, SoFi provides investing tools for the “meme stocks” generation as well as a software suite for small businesses and a digital portal that lets borrowers shop around for lending products. And it does this without the overhead of traditional brick-and-mortar financial institutions to boot. SoFi recently turned the corner to profitability, and its stock has soared about 120% in the past year as a result. There’s a bit more risk than the other growth stocks on this list, as it’s smaller in size, but that also could add up to a significant longer runway for future growth.
Tesla Inc. (TSLA)
Market cap: $1.1 trillion Sector: Consumer discretionary As a group, manufacturing stocks are a tough investment to depend on for sustained growth. But EV leader Tesla stands apart, since it more or less established the EV marketplace as we know it — and continues to grow and thrive as that market expands. In Q3 2024, for instance, TSLA reported over 462,000 vehicle deliveries and is on pace for nearly 1.8 million vehicles delivered this year. That’s up from just 367,500 vehicles delivered in 2019. While the future of the EV tax credit in the U.S. is admittedly up for debate, Tesla has become a truly global manufacturer and remains the go-to choice for EV drivers. And with CEO Elon Musk publicly cozying up to Trump, it seems unlikely that any other brand will shoulder out Tesla in the next four years.
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Update 11/27/24: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
