In this article, we’ll look at the 10 Best NYSE Stocks to Buy for the Long Term.
US stocks had a stellar run in 2025, buoyed by the AI investment enthusiasm. The S&P 500 soared 17.9%, marking a third consecutive year of remarkable performance for the index.
While 2025 ended strongly for stocks, the market did experience many bouts of volatility along the way. The S&P 500 index, for instance, dropped nearly 19% in the first half of the year before reversing course to have a solid finish.
It seems to be a similarly volatile start to 2026, with the market experiencing sharp swings so far. A confluence of factors has contributed to this, including AI boom concerns, monetary policy uncertainties, and geopolitical issues.
Looking ahead, though, market experts see strong gains for stocks in 2026.
On January 6, Goldman Sachs strategists published their prediction for 2026, saying they expected the S&P 500 to rally 12% this year. Ben Snider, the chief US equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, was quoted as saying:
“Healthy economic and revenue growth, continued profit strength among the largest US stocks, and an emerging productivity boost from artificial intelligence (AI) adoption should lift [US stock earnings in the coming years].”
On January 15, Jared Woodard of BofA Securities said on CNBC that market success will be much broader this year than it was last year.
Angelo Kourkafas, the senior global investment strategist at Edward Jones, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal on February 8 as saying: “We would view any pullbacks as opportunities to really re-engage.”
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the stocks flying under the radar that can be a huge blessing to long-term investors.
Source: Pexels
Our Methodology
To identify the 10 Best NYSE Stocks to Buy for the Long Term, we used the Finviz stock screener to filter for companies trading under the NYSE, and with five-year revenue and earnings growth rates of at least 15%. We narrowed the list to stocks with market caps above $2 billion and then looked at their upside potential. Using Q3 2025 13F filings from Insider Monkey’s database, we identified those with the highest hedge fund ownership and ranked them in ascending order by the number of hedge fund holders.
Note: The data is of February 13.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research shows we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
Best NYSE Stocks to Buy for the Long Term
10. Ares Management Corp (NYSE:ARES)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 50
Stock’s Upside Potential: 46.71%
Ares Management Corp (NYSE:ARES) is one of the best NYSE stocks to buy for the long term. On February 10, 2026, Ares Management Corp (NYSE:ARES) CEO Michael Arougheti outlined the firm’s growth priorities at the Bank of America Financial Services Conference, highlighting record Q4 capital deployment of $46 billion, a 20% dividend increase, and assets under management rising to $600 billion in five years.
He emphasized expansion in private credit, digital infrastructure, and real estate, alongside AI integration to boost efficiency, while setting ambitious targets of 16%–20% annual FRE growth and over 20% RI growth. With $150 billion in dry powder and a strong deal pipeline, Arougheti expressed confidence in capturing opportunities amid favorable market conditions.
On February 5, Ares Management Corp reported Q4 2025 EPS of $1.45 and revenue of $1.5 billion. These figures fell short of analyst forecasts for EPS of $1.70 and revenue of $1.52 billion.
The company reported strong growth in management fees, which jumped 27% YoY. It also crossed $100 billion in fundraising for the year, sending its assets under management above $600 billion. For 2026, Ares Management Corp expects its fundraising to match or exceed the 2025 level.
In light of this, Raymond James upgraded ARES stock to a Strong Buy from Market Perform on February 9. It set a $157 price target for the stock. The firm based the upgrade on Ares Management’s robust outlook, which shows the company’s fee-related earnings are expected to grow 16-20% through 2028.
According to Raymond James, Ares Management has a predictable growth considering that over $100 billion of its assets under management is not earning fees yet. The firm further noted that Ares Management’s 4.1% common dividend yield further supports the investment case for ARES stock.
Ares Management Corp (NYSE:ARES) is a global alternative investment manager with nearly $623 billion of assets under management. It operates in private equity, credit, and real-estate markets, and this allows it to offer clients a wide range of primary and secondary investment solutions.
9. Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 50
Stock’s Upside Potential: 63.73%
Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) is one of the best NYSE stocks to buy for the long term. On February 12, Citi lowered its price target on Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) to $6 from $10 while keeping a Neutral rating on the shares. The firm updated its model following the company’s Q4 results. According to the analyst, Snap continues to face challenges from weak brand advertising demand.
Earlier on February 4, Snap Inc released its Q4 2025 earnings results that showed revenue increased 10% YoY to $1.72 billion. That beat WallStreet expectation of $1.7 billion. The revenue increase was supported by strong growth in Snap’s subscription business, where revenue soared 62% YoY. Subscriber numbers were up 71% YoY to 24 million in Q4. Snap’s net income soared to $45 million from $9 million in the prior year. The company posted a surprise profit with earnings per share of $0.03, beating expectations of a $0.03 loss. The company is nearing 1 billion monthly active users and continues to invest in augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
Snap expects Q1 2026 revenue between $1.5 billion and $1.53 billion. Adjusted EBITDA is projected at $170–$190 million. The company also plans to launch new Specs AR glasses in 2026 to tap rising demand for augmented reality.
“Our Q4 results began to reflect the impact of our strategic pivot toward profitable growth, translating into revenue diversification and meaningful margin expansion,” remarked Snap CEO Evan Spiegel.
On the back of the strong earnings, Snap announced the launch of a $500 million share buyback program. It said the goal of this program was to offset dilution related to the issuance of stock units to employees.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) is a technology company best known for its visual messaging platform Snapchat. This platform enhances communication with friends and family. Snapchat+, a subscription-based version of the platform, offers a range of extra features.
