The 5 Best Long-Term Investment Stocks to Buy for Steady Returns
The best long-term investment stocks are built on strong brands, balance sheets and cash flow, and they pay reliable dividends that grow over time.
Building wealth doesn't require you to chase the latest hot stock. Some of the market's best performers have succeeded by growing steadily over many years, leaning on their scale and brand power to deliver consistent results.
The best long-term investment stocks are typically supported by durable competitive advantages, strong balance sheets and consistent cash flow to power equally consistent dividends.
Factors like these can help investors benefit from both capital appreciation and income over time. They also provide a bit of peace of mind as these companies have the financial cushion to weather any short-term market volatility.
While no stock is guaranteed to outperform, businesses that have the scale and stability to navigate changing economic cycles, as well as bull markets and bear markets, have a good chance of growing your nest egg.
The following five companies have exactly the kind of market leadership you should look for, including a market cap of more than $10 billion and a history of consistent share appreciation.
Data is as of July 30. Dividend yields are calculated by annualizing the most recent payout and dividing by the share price.
Apple
- Sector: Technology
- Market value: $4.9 trillion
- Dividend yield: 0.3%
Apple (AAPL) has been considered one of the premier long-term investments on Wall Street for literally decades thanks to its unmatched brand loyalty, financial strength and ability to evolve beyond hardware.
The iPhone remains its flagship product, but Apple now generates almost 30% of its revenue from services such as Apple TV subscriptions, iCloud storage and digital content in the App Store.
Management also maintains one of the strongest balance sheets in Corporate America, with almost $70 billion in cash to provide flexibility for innovation, acquisitions, share repurchases and dividend growth.
Apple completed roughly $700 in stock buybacks over the last decade, and its dividend has surged from a split-adjusted 13 cents per share in 2016 to 27 cents. The yield may not be the biggest on our list, but that dividend growth is noteworthy.
Apple's enormous installed base of more than a billion active iPhones creates a built-in customer audience for future products and services. Although growth has moderated as the company has matured, Apple's brand strength and shareholder-friendly capital allocation makes it an excellent cornerstone holding for long-term investors.
Sponsored Content
Broadcom
- Sector: Technology
- Market value: $1.8 trillion
- Dividend yield: 0.7%
Nvidia (NVDA) tends to dominate the headlines, fellow semiconductor stock Broadcom (AVGO) is seeing equal success – and is not as likely to be overvalued amid the current artificial intelligence (AI) hype as a result.
Broadcom has evolved to become one of the most important technology infrastructure businesses in the world, with chips that power data centers, smartphones and broadband systems, as well as a lucrative networking software business.
Broadcom is a major beneficiary of the AI boom, supplying critical networking and custom chips used in next-generation data centers. But its networking and wireless connectivity business ensures long-term reliability regardless of the pace of the data center buildout in the years ahead.
The chipmaker also has an outstanding record of rewarding shareholders through regular payout increases, with 15 consecutive years of dividend growth.
With a durable competitive position and a good mix of exposure to fastest-growing AI markets as well as reliable digital infrastructure demand, Broadcom stands out as one of the best long-term investment stocks to buy for steady returns.
Sponsored Content
Costco Wholesale
- Sector: Consumer staples
- Market value: $423.2 billion
- Dividend yield: 0.6%
Costco Wholesale (COST) has built one of the most loyal customer bases in retail through its membership-driven business model and reputation for exceptional value.
Fees from some 145 million memberships generate more than $5 billions in recurring annual revenue for the consumer staples stock before it sells a single rotisserie chicken or oversized bag of Kirkland potato chips.
That creates a dependable source of revenue, and when coupled with the low-cost appeal of this warehouse retailer ensures stability even during tough economic times.
Big picture, Costco has a legacy of disciplined expansion and efficient operations. Founder Jim Senegal, an icon of the retail industry, built a business that's become a case study in customer loyalty and consistent results.
Costco has more than 20 years of consecutive dividend growth and a $4 billion stock repurchase plan in effect, proving loyalty to its shareholders, too.
Sponsored Content
Eli Lilly
- Sector: Healthcare
- Market value: $1.1 trillion
- Dividend yield: 0.6%
Eli Lilly (LLY) is one of the pharmaceutical industry's strongest growth stories, fueled by major advances in diabetes, obesity and oncology treatments.
Its blockbuster weight loss treatments Mounjaro and Zepbound have transformed the healthcare stock's growth outlook, driving tremendous gains in the last few years while positioning Lilly at the forefront of one of healthcare's fastest-growing markets.
Beyond these headline products, Eli Lilly has a diversified portfolio of established medicines like breast cancer treatment Verzenio and psoriasis drug Taltz that both rake in more than $2 billion in annual sales each. It also has a robust research pipeline that could support growth for years to come.
Lilly has rewarded shareholders with exceptional returns over the past several years but hasn’t shortchanged dividends or buybacks during this period. Specifically, the company is in the middle of a $15 billion share repurchase plan and paid 51 cents per quarter in 2016 compared with a dividend rate of $1.73 at present.
Lilly's combination of innovation, financial strength and leadership in high-demand therapeutic areas makes it a compelling long-term investment stock.
Sponsored Content
Visa
- Sector: Financials
- Market value: $684.3 billion
- Dividend yield: 0.7%
Visa (V) operates one of the world's largest electronic payments networks, benefiting from the continued global shift away from cash. It processed $14 trillion in total payment volume in 2025 through credit cards, debit cards, mobile transactions and contactless payment technologies.
By collecting a small fee on each transaction, Visa has built a remarkably profitable, asset-light business with high margins.
And given the massive reach and brand power of this firm, it’s highly unlikely that any competitor will disrupt its growth plans anytime soon.
The financial stock has consistently shared its success with shareholders, too, with payouts that have surged from 14 cents per quarter at the beginning of 2016 to 67 cents. On top of that, Visa is currently deploying a multiyear $20 billion stock repurchase plan.
With growth opportunities in emerging markets and digital commerce on top of an entrenched legacy business, Visa remains one of the best long-term investment stocks to buy.
Related content
Sponsored Content
