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.
But what are the best stocks to buy in October 2025? Although I can't consult a crystal ball that tells me what stocks will deliver the best returns, I've tried to do the next best thing. In this article, I'll discuss 10 stocks that I think could be great buys for long-term investors looking to put their money to work.
Why these 10?
Before we get to the stocks, let's acknowledge three caveats:
- Choosing the best stocks to buy today depends on your personal financial situation. To get a feel for where you stand, read our guide on how to invest in stocks. It walks you through topics such as establishing an emergency fund, allocating assets, and choosing the right stocks for you.
- I like these stocks as long-term investments, even if a market crash or bear market arrives. I have absolutely no idea what they'll do over the next few weeks or months. In fact, if inflation unexpectedly spikes higher, trade tensions escalate, or the U.S. falls into a deep recession, it's entirely possible that most or all of them could soon decline.
- Although I ensured some variety, the list below isn't meant to be a fully diversified portfolio. Instead, these are my highest-conviction long-term stocks to invest in now. The best one-step way to diversify your holdings is to build the core of your portfolio around something like the Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund ETF (VT -0.26%) or the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO +0.08%).
Now, let's get to my list of the 10 best stocks to buy and hold for the long term -- listed from smallest market cap to largest as of October 2025 -- followed by the summarized buy thesis for each.
Publicly Traded Company
| Name and ticker | Current price | Market cap | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) | $70.05 | $66.1 billion | Diversified Financial Services |
| Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) | $128.70 | $77.9 billion | Hotels, Restaurants and Leisure |
| CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) | $503.95 | $126.4 billion | Software |
| MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) | $2,143.09 | $106.6 billion | Multiline Retail |
| Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) | $463.42 | $164.4 billion | Healthcare Equipment and Supplies |
| Shopify (NASDAQ:SHOP) | $162.64 | $214.1 billion | IT Services |
| Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) | $114.30 | $201.3 billion | Entertainment |
| Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) | $491.29 | $1.1 trillion | Diversified Financial Services |
| Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) | $222.20 | $2.3 trillion | Multiline Retail |
| Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) | $250.46 | $3.1 trillion | Interactive Media and Services |
Pitches for each stock
Now that you've seen my top 10 best stocks to buy now, you may be wondering why I picked each company. Here's a quick rundown of why I'm such a fan of each as a long-term stock to invest in.
1. PayPal
NASDAQ: PYPL
Key Data Points
PayPal (PYPL +1.23%) 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
NASDAQ: ABNB
Key Data Points
3. MercadoLibre
NASDAQ: MELI
Key Data Points
E-commerce
4. CrowdStrike
NASDAQ: CRWD
Key Data Points
5. Intuitive Surgical
NASDAQ: ISRG
Key Data Points
NASDAQ: SHOP
Key Data Points
7. Walt Disney
NYSE: DIS
Key Data Points
8. Berkshire Hathaway
NYSE: BRK.B
Key Data Points
NASDAQ: AMZN
Key Data Points
NASDAQ: GOOGL
Key Data Points
Related investing topics
How to use this stock list
If you're just starting out on your investing journey (or want a sanity check), please read through our guide on how to invest in stocks (mentioned at the top of this article). It goes through all the basics, from getting started to determining your personal investing strategy and how much of your money to invest in stocks.
Although I'm bullish on each of these stocks and think they are good investments to buy right now, they might not all be the best choices for investors without established and diversified portfolios. Even the most stable companies on this list aren't immune to volatility in their stock prices, especially over short periods.
For this reason, if you're just getting started, you'll also want to see our list of the five top tips for investing in stocks for beginners. To be sure, I think the 10 stocks discussed here are some of the best long-term stock investments you can buy now. But it's wise to start with the stocks that speak to you and feel free to ignore the ones that don't.
Benefits and risks of investing in top stocks
Investing in these top stocks has its share of pros and cons. Some of the benefits include:
- High growth potential: These companies all have the potential to grow their revenue and earnings at well above average rates in the coming years.
- Strong return potential: Strong growth rates position these companies to deliver robust stock price gains.
- Capitalizing on key growth megatrends: Many of the companies on this list are leaders in capitalizing on growth megatrends such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), e-commerce, financial technology, and cloud computing.
On the other hand, some potential risks to consider include:
- Elevated valuations: Many of these companies trade at higher valuations compared to the market average. That could limit their upside potential if these companies don't grow as fast as investors anticipate.
- Volatility: Many of these companies will be more volatile than the broader market.
How to buy best-performing stocks
Fortunately, modern-day brokers have made buying stocks like these easy. Just go through these steps:
- Open your brokerage app: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
- Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
- Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
- Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
- Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
- Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.
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