There's no denying that there are plenty of speculators with itchy trigger fingers on the Robinhood Markets (HOOD 3.59%) trading platform. Size up the list of the 100 most commonly held stocks across the entire Robinhood community, and you'll find included an array of trendy meme stocks and penny stocks. A whopping 10% of the equities on the list actually trade for less than $2 a share.
However, buy-and-hold investors looking to this list for inspiration can find some reasonable picks on it, too. Nvidia (NVDA 5.99%), Ford Motor Company (F -1.23%), and Walt Disney (DIS -0.09%) are among the most popular stocks on Robinhood -- and they're investments you may want to hang on to for the long haul.
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1. Nvidia
When it comes to the tech trends that are growing now, nearly all of them go through Nvidia. Close your eyes and rattle off industries that you can see expanding in the coming years. From self-driving cars to robotics, and from cryptocurrency mining to the metaverse, Nvidia's hardware and software solutions are there to make it all possible.
One can argue that the bar-raising chipmaker is already one of the most valuable companies on the planet. It commands a $765 billion market cap that is topped by just six other companies that trade on stateside exchanges. But trust the process.
Nvidia's grew its revenue 53% last year when even some tech darlings took a breather. It's growing even faster this fiscal year.
2. Ford Motor Company
If you just look at the numbers, Ford may seem like an odd pick here. It discontinued its once-hefty quarterly dividend last year, and is just now bringing it back. The automaker hasn't come through with a year of double-digit percentage growth since 2013, and since then, we're talking about top-line upticks in the low single-digit percentages and three years of declining revenues.
However, 2021 feels different. Like a slumbering media giant that suddenly awakens to find the value of its intellectual property, Ford is having a big glow up this year as it unveils electric vehicle makeovers for some of its biggest car and pick-up truck brands. Ford has always scored points with investors for being the only major U.S. automaker to not file for bankruptcy in 2009 when its whole industry was on the brink of collapse amid a global recession. Now it's ready to step on the gas -- no, the accelerator pedal.
The future is looking bright for Ford, and the present isn't too shabby. It has turned a profit in five of the past six quarters, and has trounced expectations along the way. Ford stock has more than doubled this year, but the iconic automaker is still trading for just 10 times what it's expected to earn for all of 2021.
3. Walt Disney
Shares of Nvidia and Ford have more than doubled so far in 2021. But Disney is trading marginally lower this year, and that's surprising given how positioned perfectly its portfolio of businesses is for the inevitable recovery out of this pandemic. It has theme parks, cruise ships, and the top draws at the local multiplex. It also has a huge media empire of broadcast networks and streaming services that thrived last year when we were stuck at home.
Disney reports its fiscal fourth-quarter results after the market close on Wednesday. It should be a strong update, loaded with optimism about its near-term recovery prospects. The company's intellectual property portfolio is unmatched in the media world, and it's no surprise that the three highest-grossing films of 2021 in this country are all tied to characters from its Marvel business. Two years ago, Disney was the studio behind the top six box office winners.
Nvidia, Ford, and Disney are some of the most popular holdings among Robinhood traders. They're also blue chip stocks that remain strong long-term picks for investors.
