2 Stocks to Buy and Hold for 10 Years

With the S&P 500 index recently hitting a new all-time high, we can officially declare that we are in a bull market. While that’s exciting news, it doesn’t change the blueprint of success for long-term investors. The plan remains to pick out stocks to hold on to for a while, stocks that can perform well in good times and stay in one piece during bad times.

For investors in search of such companies, let’s consider two excellent candidates: Merck (NYSE: MRK) and Fiverr (NYSE: FVRR). Read on to find out why these corporations could deliver superior returns in the next 10 years.

1. Merck

Merck has relied on Keytruda to drive sales growth for a while. Keytruda has earned dozens of indications in treating various cancers around the world. The medicine became the best-selling drug in the world in 2023, an honor it should keep for a few more years. Unfortunately, Keytruda will run out of patent protection in 2028.

Can Merck survive this ordeal and continue delivering solid results? The answer seems to be yes. The drugmaker has already started preparing its post-Keytruda plans. It is currently waiting for approval for a therapy that looks destined to become a blockbuster: sotatercept, a potential treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Sotatercept has a mechanism of action which, unlike existing PAH therapies, allows it to target the underlying causes of the disease. While Merck got its hands on sotatercept through an acquisition, it is also relying on internally developed products, such as the highly promising MK-0616. This potential medicine is currently undergoing a phase 3 study in treating hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol in the blood).

MK-0616 delivered excellent results in early-stage studies, and it could be the first oral medicine of its kind to get approved for hypercholesterolemia (others are typically administered via infusion, a less attractive option for patients). Some analysts see MK-0616 and sotatercept racking up combined peak annual sales…