3 Unstoppable Stocks to Buy in 2026 and Hold Forever

If you want to invest in strong stocks that you can hold on to forever, it's important to consider not only what their financials look like today, but also the strength of their overall business models, and what their futures may look like. By doing this, you can ensure you're thinking about the big picture, and whether a company can succeed in the long haul.

Three businesses that I think are solid investments with terrific financials and growth prospects that you can safely buy today and hang on to forever are Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), American Express (NYSE: AXP), and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL).

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Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly is a growth machine, and it's the type of business you can feel comfortable owning due to its relentless pursuit of innovation. Even though the healthcare company is generating stellar results these days thanks to its fantastic GLP-1 products -- Mounjaro (for diabetes) and Zepbound (for weight loss) -- it's still innovating. The company is working on bringing a GLP-1 pill to market and arguably its most promising weight loss treatment, retatrutide, is in late-stage trials and may obtain approval in the near future.

The company has also agreed to partner with tech giant Nvidia to build a factory that will utilize artificial intelligence and a supercomputer to help accelerate drug discovery. It could take years for the project to pay off and lead to tangible results, but it's an excellent example of the company's appetite for more growth.

While GLP-1 drugs have made the stock a hot buy in recent years, Eli Lilly's business is broader than that drug class alone. It also has a treatment approved for early Alzheimer's, Kisunla, which could be a potential blockbuster for the business.

Although the stock isn't cheap, as it trades at more than 50 times its trailing earnings, with so much growth still ahead for Eli Lilly, that multiple could come down significantly in the future. As the business gets bigger and continues growing, so too will its valuation. This is one of the safest healthcare stocks you can own today.

American Express

Credit card issuers can make for great investments as these businesses enjoy strong recurring revenue over the years. And what's attractive about American Express in particular is its focus on a more affluent customer base. The company's clientele may make the business less susceptible to downturns in the economy. And it has established a strong brand over the years, with its credit cards known for their attractive rewards and perks.

Even now, with consumers reportedly pulling back on discretionary purchases, Amex's business looks solid. Through the first nine months of 2025, the company reported revenue of $53.2 billion, which rose 9% year over year. And its net income of $8.4 billion was up by 5%.

American Express' strong financials and overall resiliency make it one of the best financial stocks to own for the long haul. Under stronger economic conditions, the business is likely to perform even better. And yet, over the past year, the stock has still risen by more than 20%.

Alphabet

Undoubtedly, one of the best growth stocks to own is Alphabet, the company that owns Waymo, Google, YouTube, Gemini, and other excellent assets. It has an abundance of growth opportunities that make it a no-brainer buy for long-term investors.

It has generated an incredible $124.3 billion in earnings over the past four quarters, with its profit margin coming in at an impressive rate of 32%. With those kinds of profits and margins, the company can afford to take on big acquisitions and pursue risky initiatives that other businesses may not be able to.

It's the second-most valuable stock in the world today with a market cap of $4 trillion, trailing only Nvidia. But with exceptional growth prospects and solid fundamentals, it can still have plenty of room to rise even further in the long run.

American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. David Jagielski, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.