The Best Stocks to Invest $1,000 in Right Now

Got some idle cash you know you won't need for a while but aren't quite sure where to invest it? This may be a time to take a look off the beaten path at some tickers that are down for all the wrong reasons that aren't apt to last.

Here's a closer look at three of these best bets right now.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Uber Technologies

With nothing more than a quick glance at the recent headlines regarding ride-hailing outfit Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER), it would be easy to presume the worst. The company is already peeling back from October's peak, and just last week Melius Research analyst Conor Cunningham downgraded Uber stock from a hold to a sell, arguing Uber's dominant size means it "has the most risk from increased competition" from the advent of robotaxis that's expected to explode beginning this year.

Perhaps Cunningham's concerns are reasonable.

His contention that Uber is uninvestable right now, however, arguably overstates the amount of worry that's merited here for a couple of reasons.

One of those reasons is the simple fact that Uber is wading into the very vehicles that are supposed to be a significant threat. For instance, in October Nvidia announced that its latest Drive AGX Hyperion 10 self-driving automobile platform will be the brains of Uber's self-driving fleet beginning in 2027, with plans to eventually install this technology on 100,000 vehicles. And just last month, Uber launched a partnership with robotaxi company Avride in Dallas, Texas.

Cunningham is correct that the rise of self-driving taxis is a threat to at least some aspect of Uber's dominance of the ride-hailing industry. What he may be underestimating, though, is the importance of name recognition. Uber's brand is arguably the best-established brand name in the business, making it the frontrunner as the world shifts away from human-driven vehicles to autonomously driven taxis.

The other reason Uber stock is a particularly compelling buy following the stock's recent pullback is the fact that it's plugged into a massive sociocultural shift that's not apt to slow down soon. That's consumers' growing disinterest in owning a car or even being licensed to drive one.

Numbers from the Federal Highway Administration put things in perspective, indicating the total number of U.S. licensed drivers aged 19 and under has steadily dwindled from 1978's peak near 12 million to less than 9 million in 2023 despite growth in the size of this age group during most of this stretch. The same trend applies to those people between the ages of 20 and 29, even if not quite as dramatically. This crowd is normalizing ride hailing and will likely pass the habit along to their children.

2. GE Vernova

General Electric may have been an industrial titan back in the 1980s and 1990s. By the early 2000s, it was losing relevancy fast, bested by the rise of new technologies on fronts ranging from communications to renewable energy to consumer appliances, and more. By the time the complex organization began breaking itself up into smaller and more manageable individual pieces in 2021, the market had largely lost interest in it or any of its offshoots.

But maybe that was a mistake. Although it was forced to take a few fiscal lumps as part of the breakup, at least one of these pieces is looking very relevant -- and very compelling. That's GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV).

GE Vernova makes a variety of utility-scale power production equipment. Gas-powered turbines, wind turbines, hydro power, and even nuclear power equipment are all in its wheelhouse. It also offers the software and grid-connectivity solutions needed to make investments in its wares worthwhile. Through the first three quarters of 2025, revenue was up 11% year over year to $27.1 billion, driving profits 15% higher as a result. Analysts expect more of the same pace of progress at least through 2029 too.

Data source: Morningstar. Chart by author.

This bullish outlook, however, still arguably understates the pace and longevity of this growth.

Fueled by a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) demand and sheer population growth, energy management consulting firm Enerdata believes worldwide electricity production is set to grow at a slow-but-steady pace of 2.7% per year through 2050, with newer and better fossil fuel solutions replacing older ones as cleaner and greener renewables displace legacy sources of power production. GE Vernova stands ready to help facilitate this evolution.

3. Netflix

Last but not least, add Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) to your list of stocks to buy if you've got $1,000 -- or any other amount of money -- you're ready to put to work for a while.

That's not the prevailing opinion right now. Shares were already peeling back from their June peak on concerns of shrinking expansion opportunities. The sell-off then reaccelerated in early December following the company's decision to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Although the $83 billion deal is miles away from being completed (regulators could still balk at the merger, or a better bid from a competitor could still materialize), the market appears to be pricing in the unpopular decision that will add billions of dollars to Netflix's balance sheet, not to mention require the issuance of millions of new Netflix shares.

The stock's 30% slide over the course of the past six months, however, may end up being a buying opportunity too few people see.

Simply put, investors and analysts alike may be underestimating the potential upside of this pairing.

Netflix already dominates the West's streaming landscape, with Nielsen, the TV rating company, reporting the service accounts for 8.3% of U.S. consumers' total streaming viewing. The next-nearest similar competitor is Walt Disney's measurably smaller 4.7%, and that's with Disney+ and Hulu watch-time combined.

With the addition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix would not only have unfettered access to the TV programming and films from one of the nation's top studios but could also conceivably have a new distribution channel for content that up until now has been limited to Netflix's streaming platform. And yes, this includes the possibility of theatrical distribution.

More than anything, combining Warner and Netflix would effectively solidify Netflix's dominance of the streaming industry. From that point, the new-and-improved company will have enough size and leverage to do whatever it wants, forcing all of its rivals on several different fronts into spending heavily just to remain competitive.

James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Netflix, Nvidia, Uber Technologies, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The Motley Fool recommends Ge Vernova. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.