Top Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2025

There are thousands of publicly traded companies you can invest in, not to mention the many exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds you can buy. So, it's not surprising that many investors don't know where to begin. Even with a market that reached record highs in late 2025, plenty of stocks remain extremely attractive for long-term investors to consider buying.

PayPal (PYPL -2.83%) is an absolute cash machine that has been beaten down by more than 75% from its highs. If you aren't familiar with the recent history, PayPal completely overhauled its management team in late 2023. Every member of its C-suite is new to the business, and it is an impressive group.

The new leaders are already making some big moves, including rolling out an industry-leading cash-back debit card product and launching an advertising platform. Since the new leadership took over, efficiency has improved dramatically, and earnings per share (EPS) is significantly higher.

This could be just a starting point. Management has recently presented investors with a growth roadmap and believes it can achieve sustainable 20% annual earnings growth in the not-too-distant future.

Currently, the company has 438 million active users across PayPal and Venmo, and it processes about $1.8 trillion in annualized payment volume. The company produces more than $6 billion in free cash flow annually and has been using it to aggressively buy back its own stock, a sign that management thinks it's cheap.

It's not hard to see why PayPal's management is choosing to use its capital this way. As of October 2025, the stock traded at a historically low price-to-sales ratio of 2.2 times and for less than 14 times forward earnings.

2. Airbnb

Few companies have been as successful in disrupting an entire industry as Airbnb (ABNB -0.74%). The company started in 2007 as a few air mattresses on the floor of the co-founders' apartments (that's where the company gets its name) and has evolved to the point where it has changed the way millions of people look at travel accommodations.

Airbnb has more than 5 million hosts who list more than 8 million properties and experiences on its platform. In the most recent quarter alone, more than 134 million nights and experiences were booked on Airbnb's platform, with a total booking value of $23.5 billion, which represents 11% year-over-year growth.

Airbnb is not only massive and growing quickly but also highly profitable. It generated $4.3 billion in free cash flow (FCF) and has a 37% FCF margin over the past four quarters.

Looking forward, Airbnb has $11.4 billion in cash and short-term investments on its balance sheet. And it still has a massive growth opportunity.

Its overall market opportunity is estimated to be trillions of dollars when including short-term stays, long-term stays, and experiences. Plus, management clearly believes the stock's valuation doesn't accurately reflect the long-term opportunity, given that the company has been buying back shares rather aggressively.

3. MercadoLibre

5. Intuitive Surgical

Robot-assisted surgery beats shaky human hands. That general thesis hasn't changed much from when I first noticed Intuitive Surgical (ISRG +13.37%) stock in 2005. The da Vinci Surgical System is the clear market leader, and its "razor and blades" model helps Intuitive generate a recurring stream of revenue.

In the second quarter of 2025, Intuitive Surgical reported year-over-year revenue growth of 21%, fueled by 17% growth in performed da Vinci procedures.

Intuitive Surgical is dominant in its space, with a global market share of about 80%. It has lots of room to grow as the adoption of its surgical systems and the number of supported procedures increase over time. This is particularly true in many international markets, where the implementation of robot-assisted surgery could be a long-tailed growth catalyst for this excellent business for decades to come.

6. Shopify

8. Berkshire Hathaway

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