15 Stocks That Have Stood the Test of Time in the Market

If you're looking for some solid candidates to add to your stock portfolio, you would do well to hunt among the companies that have stood the test of time. Companies that have been around for decades are likely to have the ability to change with the times and even to reinvent themselves when needed.

Here's a brief look at 15 companies that have been around a long time -- some a very long time. See which ones pique your interest most.

5 Winning Stocks Under $49
We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by the Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true. And while Amazon and Netflix have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Simply click here to learn how to get your copy of “5 Growth Stocks Under $49” for FREE for a limited time only.

Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) is helmed by superinvestor Warren Buffett, which is the first thing you can like about it. Over more than 50 years, Buffett has grown the company phenomenally, increasing its stock price by an annual average rate of 20%. (Over the same period, the S&P 500, no slouch itself, averaged 10%). Berkshire Hathaway today is a conglomerate of many solid businesses. Insurance and energy are key focuses, but the company also encompasses names such as Benjamin Moore, See's Candies, Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom, Acme Brick, Duracell, and the BNSF Railway. The company owns gobs of stock in other companies, too -- such as Apple.

ALSO READ: The 3 Best Stocks to Buy for Summer 2021

IBM (NYSE: IBM) is a familiar name, probably to you and your grandparents alike. But it's not the same company that your grandparents might remember. It has been morphing over time, and focusing more on briskly growing areas such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence. It's also shedding some of its slower-growing, lower-margin operations. It will be spinning off its managed infrastructure services businesses later this year, which will leave it leaner. IBM is also a significant dividend-paying company, recently yielding 4.3%.

It will be no surprise that Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) is a longtime standout. The company was founded back in 1995 (as an online bookstore), and by next year it's expected to overtake Walmart (NYSE: WMT) as the largest U.S. retailer, per a J.P. Morgan report. The company's Amazon Web Services (AWS) is an underappreciated but fast-growing division, leading in the cloud-computing realm. Speaking of Walmart, it's also a longtime stock market standout with a promising future of its own.

McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) traces its roots back to the 1950s, and according to Forbes magazine's 2020 ranking, it owned the world's 10th most valuable brand, valued near $46 billion. While many companies were whacked by the pandemic, which kept most consumers indoors and away from their businesses, McDonald's wasn't hurt as badly, as many of its locations were kind of pandemic-ready, with drive-thru service. The company added delivery services, too. McDonald's is a longtime dividend payer, and recently yielded 2.2%.

ALSO READ: 3 Stocks to Buy With Dividends Yielding More Than 4%

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is a computing titan that's still growing, with a market value recently near $2 trillion. It was founded back in 1975 and had early successes with its MS-DOS operating system and later with its Windows operating system -- among plenty of other achievements. Today Windows is dominant, as is the Office suite of productivity software, which Microsoft has profitably turned into a subscription service. Like Amazon, it offers a cloud-computing service -- Azure -- and its Xbox gaming system remains popular. (Another great longtime performer in the computing world is Apple.)

5 Winning Stocks Under $49
We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by the Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true. And while Amazon and Netflix have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Simply click here to learn how to get your copy of “5 Growth Stocks Under $49” for FREE for a limited time only.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP) isn't a household name, but maybe it should be. Founded in 1949, it has grown into a huge "human capital management" (HCM) business with a market value near $85 billion. It boasts some 900,000-plus clients in 140 countries and helps them with everything from payroll and benefits administration to recruiting and more. Its dividend recently yielded 1.9%.

While retailers such as Amazon and Walmart sell a very wide variety of things, other retailers are a bit more specialized. One particular long-term performer to know is Tractor Supply (NASDAQ: TSCO), with a market value recently near $20 billion and a dividend recently yielding 1.1%. The company sells more than just tractor parts, of course. It bills itself as "the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States," and its wares include lawn mowers, chicken coops, feeding troughs, riding boots, rabbit feed, band saws, and air fryers, among many other things. Tractor Supply has more than 1,900 stores in 49 states, and its stock has surged more than 25,000% over the past 20 years, with more room for further growth. (It also owns the chain of Petsense stores.) Two other specialized retailers that have grown well over decades include Home Depot and Lowe's.

ALSO READ: Lumber Costs Have Soared and This Stock Could Be a Big Winner

JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) is the result of combining more than 1,000 banks over more than 200 years. The banking institution traces its roots back to 1799! Today, JPMorgan Chase has more than $2.6 trillion in client assets under management, and its 250,000-plus workers serve more than 100 global markets. It's also the leading credit card issuer in the U.S., based on outstanding balances, and ranks second in transactions processed. With a recent market value near $470 billion, the company still has paths to further growth.

Airplane manufacturer Boeing (NYSE: BA) has also been a grower over many decades, as it traces its roots back to 1916. The company notes: "More than 10,000 Boeing-built commercial jetliners are in service worldwide, which is almost half the world fleet." Today, Boeing's market value is near $144 billion. The company paid a dividend for many years, but suspended it last year as the pandemic was spreading. (It's reasonable to assume it will be reinstated at some point, but the company is focusing on paying down debt once it starts generating free cash flow again.) Boeing is planning a new plane to replace its 757 and 767 models, but it will be years before it debuts, and some question whether it's a smart move.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), founded in 1837, has been selling a wide range of consumer products over many decades. With a recent market value of $330 billion and a recent dividend yield of 2.6%, it's now home to lots of brands that each generate more than $1 billion in annual revenue. These brands have included Tide, Pampers, Bounty, Crest, Folgers, Always, Downy, Gain, and Iams. The company has been paying a dividend for 131 years, and has increased it for 65 years in a row. It recently committed to spending $19 billion rewarding shareholders this year.

Two other solid long-term performers in consumer products worth a look include Clorox and Colgate-Palmolive.

5 Winning Stocks Under $49
We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by the Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true. And while Amazon and Netflix have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Simply click here to learn how to get your copy of “5 Growth Stocks Under $49” for FREE for a limited time only.

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT), founded in 1949, is a giant in the medical device arena, with a recent market value near $168 billion. It introduced the first battery-powered pacemaker in 1957, and today its "products treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, cranial and spine robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more." The company took a hit from the pandemic, but it's getting back on track now and plans to invest more heavily than usual in research and development, as its future growth relies on innovations and new products. Medtronic pays a dividend that recently yielded about 2%.

ALSO READ: Ditch Dogecoin: These 3 Stocks Could Double Your Money

Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) needs no introduction. Tracing its roots back to an 1886 soda fountain, it has grown into a beverage juggernaut, with a recent market value near $240 billion and its drinks sold in more than 200 countries and territories (in other words, just about everywhere on earth). Its current brand lineup includes names such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, Powerade, Costa Coffee, Georgia Coffee, Gold Peak, Honest, Ayataka, Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, fairlife, and AdeS. The company employs more than 700,000 people and still has room for further growth. It has recently been working on cost-cutting, while halving its number of brands by shedding many smaller, local ones. Coca-Cola has long been a reliable dividend payer, having increased its payout for some 59 consecutive years.

Another long-lived company in the same arena worth considering is PepsiCo, which is not only a beverage giant (Pepsi, Aquafina, Tropicana, Mountain Dew, etc.) but also a salty-snack giant (Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos, etc.) and oat supplier (Quaker).

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) is another company with a history that's probably longer than you expected: The paint specialist was founded way back in 1866. Today, with a recent market value near $72 billion and more than 33,000 employees, the company is a global leader in coatings and related products. Its revenue and earnings have been growing in recent years, despite the pandemic, and the current housing crunch is likely to lead to more construction and more paint needed to finish those homes. In the meantime, management is bullish, noting in its last conference call: "Demand was robust across both architectural and industrial businesses in the quarter, particularly in March, where sales were well above our forecast. We're seeing very positive trends as economies continue to reopen." Sherwin-Williams' stock has surged more than 4,000% over the past 20 years, with dividends reinvested.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is another consumer products giant that also has a few other specialties, such as medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical business is fairly well known now, due to the company's COVID-19 vaccine. Founded in New Jersey in 1886, the company currently sports a market value topping $400 billion and a dividend that recently yielded 2.6%. Its consumer brands are certainly familiar, including Listerine, Band-Aid, Aveeno, Carefree, Tylenol, Benadryl, Motrin, Zarbee's, Neutrogena, Nicorette, and OGX. Investors can expect further growth from the company, due in part to recovering economies, demographics, and new product introductions.

ALSO READ: These 3 Dividend Stocks Offer Big-Time Income Upside Potential

And then there's Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), which like some of these other companies, is a major force in multiple realms -- in this case, in movies, television, parks and resorts, and streaming entertainment. Its properties include Disney World, Disneyland, Epcot, Disney movies, Pixar, ESPN, ABC TV, a majority stake in Hulu, and the new Disney+ streaming service -- among many others. The company's history goes back to the 1920s, and its stock has increased in value more than fivefold over the past 20 years, with a market value recently topping $300 billion. It's been a longtime dividend payer, too, but suspended that payout temporarily in 2020, as many other companies did, due to the pandemic that had it closing parks and resorts. It's reasonable to expect the dividend to return in due course.

5 Winning Stocks Under $49
We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by the Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true. And while Amazon and Netflix have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Simply click here to learn how to get your copy of “5 Growth Stocks Under $49” for FREE for a limited time only.

Many newer companies can be very exciting, with newfangled technologies or other innovative, disruptive offerings. Don't assume that older companies will only deliver sluggish growth, though -- remember Sherwin-Williams, for example: It's more than 150 years old, selling paint… and has seen its stock surge from around $27 per share in 2010 to more than $270 in 2021, a tenfold gain in roughly 11 years. Tractor Supply, founded in 1938, has been an even more phenomenal performer. Not every one will keep performing wonderfully, but there's a lot of value in companies that have stood the test of time.

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Selena Maranjian owns shares of Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Home Depot, Microsoft, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson, Lowes, Sherwin-Williams, and Tractor Supply and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1,920 calls on Amazon, long January 2023 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple, short January 2022 $1,940 calls on Amazon, short January 2023 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2023 $265 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.