If you're an investor who just wants to buy stocks and forget about them, the good news is that there are plenty of good options whereby you can earn a good return and not take on much risk, either. The three stocks listed below are all big brands you can buy and hold for the long haul and that are likely to remain solid investments for not just years, but decades.
1. Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ 1.49%) is a household name that's synonymous with healthcare. The stock has a market cap of nearly $400 billion, and it's a behemoth in its industry.
With that size, unfortunately, often comes problems. While J&J's made some quality products over the years, it's also run into many product liability issues. In just the past year, the company's lost legal battles related to opioids, its Risperdal drug, talc baby powder, and vaginal estrogen therapy products. Among its larger payouts was a $465 million fine related to its role in Oklahoma's opioid crisis.
These cases are concerning for the company, but they're not enough to detract from the good that it's done over the years in producing quality health-care products and medication that helps millions of people every day. Many large companies face legal challenges, and J&J is no different in that regard. Healthcare can expose a company to liability, and J&J's success over the years is a sign of resiliency.
In five of the past six years, J&J's net income has been above $15 billion as the company has consistently turned out strong profits year after year. The bulk of the company's profits come from its pharmaceutical segment, which made up about half (49%) of all segmented profits in 2019 with the medical device segment representing another 40% of the pie. The consumer segment represented the remaining 11%.
Unfortunately, even if J&J is able to perform well it's inevitable that the legal risks the company is exposed to today will weigh heavily on its share price. If J&J is unable to avoid bad press and new legal challenges, it may not matter how strong its sales or profits are.
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However, the company's strong consistency still makes it a great long-term buy. And coupled with a dividend that the company has increased for more than 50 years, this Dividend King can be a great source of income for your portfolio. It currently pays a dividend of $0.95 per share every quarter, which currently yields 2.5% annually.
2. Amazon
Amazon (AMZN -2.56%) isn't going to pay you a dividend, but it can more than make up for that with its stock price growth. Many up-and-coming stocks consider themselves "the next Amazon" because of how disruptive the popular tech stock has become and the success it's achieved.
Even over the past five years, shares of Amazon are up more than 450%. That's well above the 58% you would have earned holding the S&P 500 index or J&J's stock, which grew by 44% during that time. Whether Amazon will continue growing at that kind of pace is questionable, but the one thing that isn't uncertain is the company's dominance. Although Amazon may look different decades from now, it'll likely still be a powerful organization.
Its versatility and aggressive growth into many different industries ensure that it'll have many avenues to continue growing. The company's gotten into the grocery business with its acquisition of Whole Foods and it also purchased online, full-service pharmacy PillPack. Amazon has also heavily expanded into the cloud-computing business with Amazon Web Services making up about 10% of the company's revenue and it grew by an impressive 45% in the company's fourth-quarter. It also has a strong operating margin of 29%.
While its profits aren't as large as J&J's, they've been increasing over the years and reached north of $11 billion in 2019. But what's been impressive is the company's revenue growth. Sales of $34 billion in 2010 grew to $281 billion this past year. The size of Amazon and its ability to add value to various industries make it an optimal buy for long-term investors.
3. TD Bank
Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD 1.47%) isn't nearly as exciting as Amazon, and its shares are up just 30% in five years. But it's a terrific pick to add some diversification to your portfolio. The big Canadian bank stock has more than 1,200 locations in the U.S., which is slightly more than the 1,100 branches north of the border. However, the bulk of the company's earnings still come from the Great White North. In 2019, over 40% of the company's reported earnings came from the U.S. retail segment of its business, with the remainder coming from its wholesale and Canadian retail segments.
That diversification makes TD one of the better bank stocks to own in North America, as a good mix ensures that it isn't overly exposed to one particular market. TD recorded more than 11.6 billion Canadian dollars in profit last year, and that figure has been growing at a healthy rate, up 50% in just five years.
With TD's strong financials, it's safe to say it isn't going anywhere anytime soon. And that's great news for income investors, as the stock currently pays a quarterly dividend of CA$0.74, which yields 3.9% per year. The company releases earnings later this month and, given the bank's reputation for raising dividends, it wouldn't be a surprise to see another rate hike coming soon.
Pillars to build your portfolio around
The stocks listed above can be ideal options for any portfolio because they cover many different industries. Over the long term, these stocks should be safe bets to continue growing in value as their businesses continue expanding. With a good mix of growth, dividends, and stability, these stocks can help your portfolio grow for many, many years.
