Finding the best long-term stocks means looking beyond the headlines and focusing on the trends that stand the test of time. While no investment is guaranteed to succeed, the strongest companies have durable competitive advantages and market share that lead to consistent growth and a steady upward climb for shares.
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That doesn’t mean these stocks only travel upward, as market downturns are inevitable. However, the ability to execute through changing market conditions is what makes for the best growth stocks. Rather than riding short-term trends, these companies are leveraging their dominance for long-term success.
Investing always carries risk, but these stocks are on the right path to continued success thanks to strong market positions, attractive growth metrics and exposure to powerful secular trends that show no sign of slowing down in the next 10 years:
| Stock | Market capitalization | Year-to-date return as of Aug. 11 |
| Apple Inc. (ticker: AAPL) | $4.4 trillion | 12.5% |
| Cloudflare Inc. (NET) | $112 billion | 55.7% |
| Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) | $421 billion | 10% |
| Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) | $1.1 trillion | 13.4% |
| First Solar Inc. (FSLR) | $24 billion | -7.8% |
| GE Aerospace (GE) | $381 billion | 19.8% |
| McKesson Corp. (MCK) | $103 billion | 10.1% |
| Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) | $3.7 trillion | 4.6% |
| Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) | $5.4 trillion | 16.8% |
Apple Inc. (AAPL)
The first U.S. company to reach $1 trillion in market value, iPhone maker Apple remains one of the world’s most recognizable tech brands. Its current ecosystem spans beyond hardware to include software, cloud services and digital payments. Apple’s enormous installed base and customer loyalty gives it pricing power — as well as staying power. And for those leery of whether artificial intelligence stocks can live up to the hype, Apple’s persistent growth drivers seem very likely to withstand any volatility related to chips, AI agents or anything else. The company regularly puts up double-digit revenue growth despite sales approaching $500 billion a year, providing a scale that is unmatched in consumer technology.
Cloudflare Inc. (NET)
Cloudflare has emerged as one of the most important companies supporting the modern internet, providing cybersecurity and performance optimization services for some of the biggest players in the world. As businesses continue moving more critical operations into the cloud, demand for secure and reliable digital infrastructure from Cloudflare should continue rising. What’s more, the company’s recurring revenue model provides stability, while an expanding product portfolio and customer base provide additional growth. As proof of its resilience, Cloudflare stock is up 56% this year and just notched a new 52-week high even as AI stocks have rolled back a bit. Shares are up about 158% in the past five years to more than double the returns of the S&P 500 in the same period.
Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST)
Costco has built one of the most loyal customer bases in retail, with roughly 150 million memberships and a cult-like following for its private-label Kirkland products. As a result, Costco generates tremendously reliable revenue from consumers — particularly given its low-cost approach to staples, which keep flying off the shelves even in tough economic environments. What’s really impressive about Costco is how the retailer has figured out a path to consistent growth in an otherwise low-margin and sleepy sector by offering new products and services. Shares are up about 120% in the past five years and revenue will top $300 billion this fiscal year, up from just under $200 billion in 2021. That proves the long-term growth potential of this low-cost leader.
Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY)
Founded in 1876, Eli Lilly may strike some as an old-school healthcare stock
. However, with returns of more than 300% in the last five years, this trillion-dollar drugmaker has proven it still has its finger on the pulse of innovation. Its leadership in diabetes, obesity and oncology treatments is unmatched, with blockbuster medicines such as Mounjaro and Zepbound. The potential for long-term revenue growth extends beyond weight-loss drugs, however, thanks to a broad pipeline of potential therapies funded by the success of these leading treatments. Eli Lilly offers a rare combination of growth potential in a company characterized by scale and stability thanks to the consistency of healthcare spending in any economic environment.
First Solar Inc. (FSLR)
While Big Oil may be making headlines with the war in Iran driving up crude costs, First Solar continues to prove its long-term potential in the age of climate change and growing power demands. For starters, First Solar is a strategically important U.S.-based solar manufacturer at a time when governments and corporations continue investing in domestic energy infrastructure. The company benefits from vertically integrated operations and reduced reliance on foreign supply chains. And while renewable energy policy can wax and wane, revenue is projected to finish fiscal year 2026 at more than $5 billion in an admittedly hostile policy environment for solar — roughly double the revenue tally from 2022. Shares are up 150% in the last five years, about two times that of the S&P 500, showing this U.S. energy stock has long-term potential regardless of who is in power in Washington.
[Read: 7 of the Best Long-Term Stocks to Buy]
GE Aerospace (GE)
GE Aerospace is an attractive long-term investment in an age of persistent geopolitical unrest. Aerospace and defense is a strong, resilient industry, thanks to the continued upward climb of military budgets both at home and abroad. On top of that, long-term commercial aviation is facing continued growth, as air travel trends prompt carriers to upgrade and expand their fleets. GE is a leading manufacturer of jet engines, but it also generates strong recurring revenue through service contracts for the engines it sold in years past. That model, coupled with strong relationships with major aircraft manufacturers, gives it a competitive advantage that is unmatched in this highly specialized industry. Following the spinout of energy-related assets, the company is now focused entirely on aerospace — and the long-term growth prospects look strong given GE’s dominance and growing worldwide demand.
McKesson Corp. (MCK)
McKesson may not be the best-known name in healthcare, but it ranks as one of the best growth stocks in the sector — and on Wall Street in general — over the last five years, with returns of more than 300%. McKesson is dominant in the unglamorous business of surgical supplies, pharmacy logistics and distribution, and back-office software solutions. These specialties make it deeply ingrained in a sector that is not tied to the cyclical ups and downs of consumer spending, providing a tremendous baseline for revenue. Thanks to strong management coupled with the continued growth of the healthcare sector, the future for MCK stock remains bright.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)
Once known for productivity software like Windows and Office, Microsoft has successfully transformed itself into one of the world’s most diversified technology companies over the last two decades. That includes leadership positions in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity and video games. Particular bright spots include Microsoft business line Azure, which continues gaining ground as the No. 2 cloud computing platform after Amazon Web Services, and video gaming dominance after its massive $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023. Even at its enormous size, the company continues producing strong revenue growth thanks to recurring software subscriptions and deep customer relationships.
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)
While many investors are leery of Nvidia after its red-hot run, there’s no denying that this chipmaker has come to define the AI revolution. And with revenue that has surged from about $27 billion in fiscal year 2023 to $215 billion in 2026, it’s hard to argue that the hype is unwarranted. The company remains dominant in the graphics processing units that power AI training, cloud computing, robotics and other advanced computing applications. It also has repeatedly expanded into new markets while maintaining a significant technological advantage over peers, which hints that growth is far from over. Yes, NVDA stock has rolled back since the spring, but long-term investors will note that shares are up 1,000% in the last five years, to more than make up for periods of short-term volatility.
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9 Best Growth Stocks for the Next 10 Years originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 08/12/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
