Though any hopes of a quick recovery may be dashed, investors may want to recharge with forever stocks to buy. While many companies – including robust ones with fundamentally sound businesses – have struggled recently, certain organizations are built for the long haul. Therefore, if you’re a patient investor with a long-term horizon, the below ideas could be enticing.
To be sure, the market environment presents a tricky conundrum. Heading into the annual economic symposium at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, some analysts anticipated the Federal Reserve might take a slightly less aggressive approach to monetary policy. Unfortunately, Fed chair Jerome Powell quickly dismissed those notions, instead committing to tackling inflation through higher rates. While initially bearish for equities, it presents discounts for certain forever stocks to buy.
Indeed, if you approach the market as a marathon runner instead of a sprinter, the red ink shouldn’t displease you. On the contrary, it’s a chance to pick up solid companies dragging through near-term challenges. With that in mind, here are the no-brainer forever stocks to buy if you have money to invest.
| GOOG | Alphabet | $111.17 |
| GOOGL | Alphabet | $110.28 |
| AMZN | Amazon | $130.57 |
| ED | Consolidated Edison | $100.03 |
| ENB | Enbridge | $41.67 |
| PFE | Pfizer | $46.57 |
| SCI | Service Corporation | $62.56 |
Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL)
Over the past few years, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) and its peers courted much criticism regarding potential undue influence. Since big tech firms own the most popular platforms, some are concerned they have an impact on which users’ voices are elevated or silenced. With the political backdrop more intense than ever before, it’s a debate that will likely continue unrelentingly.
Nevertheless, the harsh reality is Alphabet owns the internet. As of April 2022, Alphabet’s Google owns 92.49% of global search engine market share. In other words, nine out of ten people in the world, when they want to know something, search via Google. It’s the reason Google is now a verb. You just don’t hear about people Yahoo-ing or Bing-ing something.
Frankly, I have a difficult time believing this dominance will erode anytime soon. Part of Google’s appeal also lies in its social and cultural cachet. No company appears to be a credible challenger, meaning that you can trust GOOG (or GOOGL) as one of the forever stocks to buy.
Amazon (AMZN)
Similar to Alphabet, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has likewise courted controversy. On the political front, Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos squared off with former President Donald Trump. On the business side of the spectrum, Amazon carries a reputation of killing small businesses. When small companies represent the lifeblood of the U.S. economy, that reputation is obviously problematic.
Still, the challenge that small business advocates face is that breaking up Amazon would be a gargantuan undertaking. Moreover, the company features a similar profile to Alphabet in that it owns e-commerce. During the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon added to its prestige as consumers gravitated toward online platforms.
Even better, e-commerce as a percentage of total retail sales is rising after declining from its Covid-19 peak. Between the first and second quarters of this year, this metric increased 1.4% to 14.5%.
Moving forward, I think it’s a safe assumption that Amazon will continue doing Amazon things. Therefore, it’s one of the forever stocks to buy.
Consolidated Edison (ED)
Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED), better known as Con Edison or ConEd, represents one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the U.S. Generally speaking, utility firms offer readymade ideas for no-brainer stocks to buy. No matter how advanced we get as a civilization, certain basic needs remain paramount. Take away those services, and bad things happen very quickly.
But what’s really intriguing about ConEd is its coverage map. Providing electric, gas and steam services to residents of New York City and Westchester, the company almost guarantees itself relevance. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average individual income in New York as of 2020 is $107,000. Keep in mind that in the same year, the median household income in the U.S. was $67,521.
Now, I understand New Yorkers encounter much higher costs of living than the average American. Still, six figures as an average individual income is quite high. Tied to such an economic powerhouse, ConEd isn’t going anywhere fast. It’s an easy inclusion among no-brainer forever stocks to buy.
Enbridge (ENB)
While the current energy narrative focuses on renewable sources such as wind and solar, the unmistakable reality is hydrocarbons will be with us for a long time. Scientifically, it comes down to capacity factor, or the rate of reliability per defined unit of time. Though necessary components to the discussion, wind and solar represent the energy sources with the least magnitude of capacity factor.
That’s one of the key reasons why midstream player Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) is one of the no-brainer forever stocks to buy. Another reason? The company commands a massive profile. Per its website, “Enbridge operates the world’s longest and most complex crude oil and liquids transportation system.” This includes 17,809 miles of active crude pipeline across North America.
Also, other interesting facts include Enbridge accounting for 40% of total U.S. crude oil imports. As well, the company transports about 20% of all natural gas consumed in the U.S. In other words, Enbridge is practically permanently relevant.
Pfizer (PFE)
While fundamentally celebrated by the majority consensus of scientists and medical experts for helping to deliver vaccines to address the Covid-19 pandemic, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) has also sparked controversy among those opposed to vaccination.
As well, because fears of Covid-19 have faded, Pfizer doesn’t command the relevance it once did. Further, signs indicate some people have become reluctant to get a Covid booster. In part, fatigue over various mitigation efforts impacted millions. Tellingly, PFE is down about 18% on a year-to-date basis through the Sept. 1 session.
Nevertheless, as one of the candidates for forever stocks to buy, Pfizer provides intrigue. Mainly, the development of a messenger-RNA-based vaccine confirms the viability of the advanced approach. Therefore, it’s possible to develop additional innovative solutions for other conditions. So, while PFE is ugly now, it might not be several years down the line.
Service Corporation (SCI)
It’s an uncomfortable topic probably for most people, I won’t lie. But death represents an inevitability – the other being taxes. Therefore, the death care industry is a viable business, which brings us to Service Corporation (NYSE:SCI).
Specializing in final services, Service Corporation enjoys the fundamental relevance of absolute predictability. We don’t know when individual persons will meet their end, but eventually, we all face that final frontier. Quantifiably, experts project the global death care industry to hit a valuation of $154.5 billion by 2027. This figure represents a compound annual growth rate of 6.3% between 2020 and 2027.
To be fair, economic factors complicate the narrative for Service Corporation. Since the start of this year, SCI dropped around 11% of market value. Nevertheless, with the baby boomer generation being the wealthiest, you’ve got to figure that over the next several years, SCI will recover quite nicely. Therefore, it’s one of the forever stocks to buy.
On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.