What are the best long term stocks to buy

How the Screener Matches “Best Long-Term US Stocks”

Your question is broad—“best long-term stocks in the US”—so the screener focuses on high-quality, relatively safer, growing businesses in the U.S. market. Each filter is aimed at improving long-term durability and risk/reward.

1. Market Cap ≥ $10B & Category: Large/Mega Cap

• Purpose: Focus on established, financially stable companies.
• Rationale:
  • Large and mega caps (≥ ~$10B) are typically industry leaders with proven business models, diversified revenue streams, and better access to capital.
  • For long-term investing, these names tend to be less volatile and less likely to “blow up” than small/micro caps. This is consistent with looking for “best” long-term compounders rather than speculative plays.

2. Region: United States

• Purpose: Restrict results to U.S.-based stocks.
• Rationale:
  • You explicitly asked about the US stock market, so this ensures companies are primarily listed and operating under U.S. regulatory and accounting standards.
  • It avoids ADRs or foreign listings, keeping the universe aligned with your request.

3. List Exchange: XNYS, XNAS, XASE (NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX)

• Purpose: Limit to major U.S. exchanges.
• Rationale:
  • NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX list the most liquid, widely followed companies.
  • This improves transparency, trading liquidity, and data quality—important for long-term investors who want to get in and out without huge spreads or poor disclosure.

4. Net Margin ≥ 10%

• Purpose: Ensure companies are meaningfully profitable.
• Rationale:
  • A net margin of at least 10% indicates a solid, profitable business with some pricing power or operational efficiency.
  • Over the long term, consistently profitable companies are better positioned to reinvest, pay dividends, buy back stock, and survive economic downturns.

5. Debt-to-Equity ≤ 1

• Purpose: Control balance sheet risk.
• Rationale:
  • A D/E ratio ≤ 1 keeps leverage at a moderate or low level.
  • For long-term investing, excessive debt can be lethal in recessions or high-rate environments; screening this out improves the quality and resilience of the portfolio candidates.

6. Revenue 5-Year CAGR ≥ 8%

• Purpose: Focus on companies with healthy, sustained growth.
• Rationale:
  • A 5-year compound annual growth rate in revenue of ≥ 8% signals a company that is not just stable but expanding.
  • Long-term returns are heavily driven by underlying business growth; this filter avoids stagnating or shrinking businesses and favors potential compounders.

7. Analyst Consensus: Strong Buy or Moderate Buy

• Purpose: Align with current professional sentiment.
• Rationale:
  • Requiring at least a “Moderate Buy” screens for companies where the majority of covering analysts see upside and relatively favorable risk/reward based on fundamentals and outlook.
  • While analysts are not infallible, this removes names with widespread negative views or serious known issues, which is sensible for a “best long-term stocks” list.

Why These Results Fit Your Request

• They focus on large, established U.S. companies, matching your “US stock market” and long-term stability needs.
• They require solid profitability and manageable debt, which supports durability through cycles.
• They demand multi-year revenue growth, increasing the odds of long-term compounding rather than stagnation.
• They incorporate positive analyst consensus, avoiding companies with widely recognized red flags.

Taken together, these filters are designed to surface higher-quality, growing U.S. companies that are more likely to be suitable candidates for long-term investing, rather than short-term trading or speculative bets.