Got $5,000? 2 Stocks to Buy Now and Hold for the Long Term

Wall Street has long rewarded patience and sound investment choices far more than market timing. Hence, buying and holding stakes in high-quality companies benefiting from powerful secular tailwinds can be one of the most effective ways to build long-term wealth.

In case you have $5,000 that is not required to pay bills or for any other contingencies, then picking stakes in either of these two stocks can help you generate meaningful returns in the long run.

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ASML

ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) continues to be a cornerstone of the global semiconductor industry. The company's deep ultraviolet (DUV) and now even more advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems are essential tools used by leading chip manufacturers to etch ultra-fine circuit patterns onto silicon wafers using laser light.

In the third quarter, the company reported 7.5 billion euros in total net sales and 2.1 billion euros in net income. While net sales were mostly flat year-over-year, the long-term outlook is still strong, driven by explosive demand for advanced chips used in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads.

The company is now gearing up for the commercial rollout of its latest generation EUV lithography system called High-NA, with 0.55 numerical aperture. This next-generation tool can etch circuit patterns at even higher resolutions, enabling chip manufacturers to make even smaller transistors. This results in higher performance and energy efficiency in advanced chips.

Intel and SK hynix have already begun installing these systems. ASML expects even more orders for High-NA EUV systems from the second half of 2026, once existing clients complete the qualification runs to test the consistency and reliability of the tool. The company then expects to start shipments in 2028 and beyond. Since every high-NA system costs from $380 million to $400 million, a sale of even a few systems beginning in 2028 can have a dramatic impact on ASML's topline.

ASML will continue to benefit from the rising demand for complex computing and memory chips in the global AI infrastructure buildout. The company is also benefiting from chipmakers using EUV lithography machines more frequently to create microscopic circuit patterns in multiple steps (EUV layers ) while building advanced semiconductor chips.

Management now expects EUV sales to reaccelerate in 2026, despite a moderation in demand from China. This highlights the resilience of ASML's business model even in a complex geopolitical environment.

Going beyond its strength in AI hardware, ASML has also acquired an 11% stake in Mistral AI. The company aims to leverage generative AI capabilities to improve performance, productivity, and yield of its systems. This deal is expected to enhance ASML's pace of innovation while lowering marketing time and reducing development costs.

ASML's share currently trade at 26.7 times forward earnings, which is reasonable for a company with a solid technological edge. Hence, considering that the company is on the path to getting even stronger in the coming years, this may be a good time to pick few shares of the stock.

Eli Lilly

Leading pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) has built a strong drug portfolio in obesity, diabetes, and neuroscience. This strength is evident, as in the second quarter, revenue increased by 38% year-over-year to $15.6 billion, while adjusted earnings per share (EPS) rose by 61% to $6.31. Management expects the company's revenue to be in the range of $60 billion to $62 billion in fiscal 2025.

Eli Lilly's diabetes and chronic weight management (incretin) drugs have emerged as the key growth engine. The company's GLP-1 drug, tirzepatide, is marketed as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for chronic weight management. Mounjaro accounted for the highest share of total incretin prescriptions for type 2 diabetes in the U.S. in July 2025.

Zepbound also dominates the U.S. branded anti-obesity market with nearly 66% of the total patient share. Hence, Eli Lilly is well-positioned to capture even more share in the global GLP-1 drug market, estimated to grow from $53.4 billion in 2024 to $156.7 billion in 2030.

Eli Lilly's next significant catalyst can be the investigational once-daily oral GLP-1 therapy, Orforglipron. This GLP-1 candidate has demonstrated success in reducing weight and controlling blood sugar for type 2 diabetes patients in multiple Phase 3 trials. Eli Lilly plans to file a regulatory applications with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval for Orforglipron in the obesity indication in late 2025 and for the type 2 diabetes indication in 2026.

If approved, Orforglipron could reduce the injection burden and make it more convenient for a broader audience to use GLP-1 drugs. Besides GLP-1 drugs, Eli Lilly is also working on other investigational medicines in areas such as Alzheimer's, oncology, and cardiometabolic health.

Eli Lilly's shares trade at 31.2 times forward earnings, which is quite a premium. However, the valuation seems justified considering its blockbuster obesity and type 2 diabetes drug portfolio, robust late-stage pipeline, and impressive financial momentum. Hence, the stock appears to be a smart buy-and-hold pick for long-term investors.

Manali Pradhan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends ASML and Intel. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short November 2025 $21 puts on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.