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8 Best American Stocks to Buy This 4th of July

By Rich Duprey - Jul 4, 2021 at 8:00AM
US flag with sparkler in front of it.

8 Best American Stocks to Buy This 4th of July

Made in America

"Made in America" is not just a jingoistic abstraction or some marketing slogan. It's a label plenty of people look for when buying goods and services because it has become associated with quality. So this Independence Day, when many Americans are not only sparking up their grills for barbecues but also feeling especially patriotic, consider adding these eight stocks born and bred in the good ol' USA to your portfolio.

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.

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Amazon Prime airplane on tarmac is reflected in large puddle.

1. Amazon.com

Seattle-based Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) is, of course, an e-commerce behemoth that just posted an estimated $11.2 billion in sales during its Prime Day extravaganza. It's expected to earn $0.4 of every $1 in e-commerce sales made this year and accounts for about 4% of the entire retail industry in the country.

Yet it's its cloud computing services that could be most important. Amazon Web Services generated 12% of Amazon's $386 billion in annual revenue last year, but still provides 59% of total operating income and will likely shape the direction Amazon takes in the future.

ALSO READ: 3 Best Buys of the Nasdaq Right Now

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Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.

2. Apple

There is no global brand that's more valuable than Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), which sits atop Brand Finance's list of the 500 most valuable brands in the world after having deposed Amazon following a three-year reign.

Instantly recognizable, possessing a reputation for quality and design excellence (albeit for a price), and with a loyal customer base, Apple generated nearly $100 billion in operating cash flow over the trailing 12 months. Being such a cash cow lets the Cupertino, California, tech giant innovate to a degree that it is always able to remain one step ahead of evolving consumer tastes and trends.

The market values its stock at over $2.2 trillion currently, and with a modest dividend yielding under 1%, Apple can still grow significantly larger while offering plenty of opportunity to increase its payout many times over.

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Police officer torso in tactical gear.

3. Axon Enterprise

Law enforcement technology is seeing massive growth in body cameras and nonlethal weapons. Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ: AXON) gives public safety agencies a sweeping breadth of options, while at the same time providing a means for storing, tracking, and decoding the vast amounts of evidentiary data those tools create.

Its TASER conducted electrical weapons are the leading means of delivering nonlethal force, while its Axon body cam and Evidence.com ecosystem ensures that customers, once drawn in, are unlikely to ever leave, giving it a reliable stream of recurring income.

Revenue grew 23% last year to $681 million, but was accelerating in the fourth quarter, expanding 32% year over year. Becoming a billion-dollar business is definitely in the future of this Scottsdale, Arizona, outfit.

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Person's hand petting a happy dog.

4. The Original BARK Company

The humanization of pets by their owners -- sorry, pet parents -- had them spending nearly $104 billion last year, mostly on food, but also supplies and vet services. They're expected to drop nearly $110 billion this year, which easily sets up The Original BARK Company (NYSE: BARK) for success.

You likely know it better as BarkBox, its monthly subscription boxes offering a full array of dog toys, food, and dental chews. It is primarily an e-commerce company, though its products do appear in retailers like Target and Costco Wholesale, as well as online sites including Amazon.

Because pet owners will not be giving up their obsession with Fido and Fluffy anytime soon, New York-based BARK will definitely have bite that's every bit as strong as its bark.

ALSO READ: 3 Top Stocks That'll Make You Richer in July (and Beyond)

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5G on a tablet with globes.

5. Broadcom

San Jose, California-based Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) is a chipmaker with a global reach, but it will benefit from the adoption of 5G networks that will bolster this country's network infrastructure while increasing wireless speed.

Broadcom generates most of its revenue from providing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips for next-generation smartphones, and analysts are expecting a massive upgrade supercycle to grip the smartphone industry when it hits in earnest.

Equally important could be the fast-growing data center business, which fuels internet-based services and applications. As more businesses move the data to the cloud, Broadcom's servers will be in high demand to access and process the information.

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.

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Person pulling out a wipe.

6. Clorox

Best known for its bleach, Clorox (NYSE: CLX) owns a portfolio of well-known brands including Kingsford charcoal and Burt's Bees balms and lotions. The COVID-19 pandemic put its bleach and sanitizing wipes in high demand, but with infection and hospitalization numbers decreasing across the U.S., cleaning habits could return closer to prepandemic norms.

Yet Oakland-based Clorox is an international company and its products span the gamut of consumer needs. Investors will appreciate that it has consistently rewarded shareholders with a dividend that it's paid out for over 50 years and that has been raised every year since 1977, making the company a Dividend Aristocrat.

As business normalizes once more, investors can wait for a return to growth by enjoying the payout that currently yields 2.6% annually.

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Person shops in a warehouse store with a cart.

7. Costco Wholesale

Headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) has been pleasing its investors everywhere for many years. Over the past decade, the warehouse club's stock has never failed to deliver for investors, delivering double-digit total returns every year since 2008.

Although a retailer in the classic sense, Costco doesn't really make money on the products it sells, but rather on getting consumers to become members and then keep renewing. Over the first six months of its current fiscal year, Costco generated over $2.1 billion in net profits, or just a little more than the $1.7 billion it sold in memberships, which is almost all pure profit.

Membership renewal rates are almost as consistent as Costco's ability to generate a return, standing at 91% in the U.S. and 88% in Canada at the end of 2020. That's actually nothing new as it typical sees them at such high levels, giving investors peace of mind that Costco will be performing just as well 10 years from now.

ALSO READ: 3 Reasons Why You Should Buy Costco if the Stock Market Crashes

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Two people looking at computer server.

8. Palo Alto Networks

No, Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW) is not located in Palo Alto but rather Santa Clara, California. But regardless of where it calls home, it's primary mission is cybersecurity solutions. The massive SolarWinds hack last year that compromised the systems of thousands of customers, from Fortune 500 corporations to the U.S. government, is a reminder that Palo Alto Networks' technology serves as vital protection against hackers.

Revenue grew 17% last year to $3.4 billion, and subscriptions account for nearly 70% of the total. The company's success comes from strong renewal rates over its distributed clientele, none of which was responsible for more than 10% of its revenue.

Subscription services tend to provide more steady streams of revenue, which gives Palo Alto a runway for future growth.

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.

Previous

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Youth wearing USA tank top and holding American flag.

Stars and Stripes forever

American companies often represent the best of what this country offers. Opportunities still abound for small garage-based businesses to grow into multibillion-dollar multinational corporations.

Wealth and opportunity are available to anyone with the determination to pursue them, and these eight companies present investors with great homegrown stocks to consider for their portfolios.

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Rich Duprey owns shares of Clorox. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon, Apple, Axon Enterprise, Costco Wholesale, and Palo Alto Networks. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom Ltd and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1,920 calls on Amazon, long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple, short January 2022 $1,940 calls on Amazon, and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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