3 Unstoppable Stocks to Buy and Hold for Years

The businesses listed here have vast growth potential. Their growth could span not just years but possibly decades, given how much room there is for them to grow.

Together, these stocks can give you good, diverse positions in some quality companies that you can build your portfolio around. The stocks I'm talking about are Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD), Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER), and Mastercard (NYSE: MA). Here's why they can be no-brainer buys right now.

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Robinhood Markets

Shares of financial services company Robinhood Markets have been red hot this year, rising by about 280% (as of Oct. 7). While its impressive gains might have you worried that it's running out of room to rise higher, there's plenty of reason to remain bullish on it over the long term.

Given its popularity with retail investors and the company's focus on continually innovating and in broadening its products and services, I see plenty of runway for business to become much more valuable in the future. Not only can you trade stocks and buy crypto on its trading platform, but Robinhood has been expanding into prediction markets, and it's offering investors in Europe (possibly the U.S. in the future) a way to hold positions in private companies such as SpaceX and OpenAI through tokenized share offerings. It's a controversial strategy that doesn't technically involve equity, but it's an example of why I believe Robinhood can continue to win over retail investors with its willingness to push the envelope.

During the past four quarters, Robinhood has generated $3.6 billion in sales, and its net profit has been astounding, totaling $1.8 billion. With excellent margins, a young user base, and plenty of growth opportunities, this is a stock that can be a tremendous buy in the long term. Although it trades at more than 70 times its trailing earnings, if you're considering hanging on to the stock for several years, it can still be an excellent investment right now given its long-term growth potential.

Uber Technologies

The brilliant simplicity of Uber's business model is what makes it a compelling long-term buy. Although it's in the ride-hailing business, it doesn't own an expensive fleet of vehicles. It doesn't have to maintain taxis. Instead, it relies on the popularity of its app, which connects riders to drivers.

If it were in the capital-intensive business of operating taxis, the travel stock wouldn't look nearly as appealing as it does. But its lean operating model lets Uber generate terrific profit margins of about 27%. Of the $47 billion in revenue it generated in the trailing 12 months, $12.6 billion fell to the bottom line as net income.

Not only can the business expand into more international markets, but it has also partnered with electric vertical takeoff and landing company Joby Aviation, which could mean that in the future, you might be able to use Uber to hail rides in the sky.

Uber may be a leading company in travel services in the future, which is why, at a price-to-earnings multiple of only 16, I think it's a steal for long-term investors.

Mastercard

Financial services company Mastercard operates a leading payment network, and it stands to benefit significantly from an increase in online spending. While the growth here may not be as explosive as that of the other two stocks noted above, the steady and continued growth Mastercard may achieve still makes it an attractive stock to hang on to.

Analysts from Precedence Research project that the credit card payments market will increase at a compounded annual growth rate of 8.69% until 2034 due to a rise in digital transactions. Mastercard is in an excellent position to benefit from those trends. Meanwhile, it's also looking to benefit from opportunities in the crypto world. Last year it launched the Mastercard Crypto Credential, which helps crypto exchanges add more trust and safety to blockchain transactions with the help of Mastercard's trusted brand and network.

This is another high-margin business to invest in, with $13.6 billion in profit during the past four quarters on revenue totaling $30.2 billion. Although the stock is up just 10% this year, it's a safe long-term investment you can buy and forget about.

David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Mastercard and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.