3 “Forever Stocks” to Hold When the Market Won’t Sit Still

Key Points

• Chevron provides long-term income potential through disciplined buybacks, a growing dividend, and exposure to global energy markets.
• Colgate-Palmolive delivers consistency with a diversified brand portfolio and more than six decades of annual dividend increases.
• Merck combines near-term cash flow from Keytruda with a late-stage oncology pipeline aimed at sustaining future growth.

With so much volatility in the market, it’s a good time for investors to consider stocks that they can hold for the long haul. These compounders don’t have to make up a large part of your portfolio, but they’re good stocks to have for investors who like to step away from their screens.

That's because owning “forever stocks” is about more than chasing the next hot trade. It means building a portfolio around companies with durable competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and shareholder-friendly capital allocation. These are the types of businesses that can weather economic cycles, adapt to industry shifts, and continue rewarding investors through dividends and long-term appreciation.

Large-cap leaders with global footprints often fit this profile. They benefit from scale, strong brands, and balance sheets that allow them to invest through downturns while returning capital to shareholders. While even the best companies can experience periods of underperformance, history shows that patience is often rewarded when the underlying business remains strong.

Chevron: Energy Income With Long-Term Staying Power

Chevron Corp. NYSE: CVX is a large-cap play among energy stocks. The company is an integrated oil giant with a presence in the coveted Permian Basin and several deep-water drilling projects. The company also has investments in renewable energy.

CVX's stock price is sensitive to fluctuations in the price of oil. That’s a key reason why the stock has produced a total return of just 5.1% in the last three years. Despite oil companies pumping at or near record levels, the price of crude oil remains in the high $50s to low $60s, putting pressure on earnings.

However, this article is focused on the idea of owning forever stocks. And over the last 10 years, CVX stock has delivered a total return of over 200%.

The company has a history of share buybacks and a safe, growing dividend. That dividend yield as of this writing is 4.12%.

But the more important numbers may be the current annualized payout of $6.84 per share and the company’s status as a dividend aristocrat with 38 consecutive years of dividend increases.

Colgate-Palmolive: A Dividend King Built for Consistency

Colgate-Palmolive Co. NYSE: CL is a leading name among consumer staples stocks. The company has a deep portfolio of brands that reach consumers throughout the world. The bullish case for CL stock goes back to legendary investor Peter Lynch’s advice to "own what you know." Investors don’t need an advanced degree to understand that the company’s products have stable, long-term demand.

But those who have bought the stock in the last few years may need a strong stomach. This “forever” stock has generated a total return of only about 15% in the last five years. That includes the company’s dividend with a 2.47% yield.

However, over longer time spans, CL stock has been a strong performer and a compounder of wealth due to its status as a dividend king. The company has increased its dividend payout for 63 consecutive years.

Plus, at around 22x earnings, the stock is a good value compared to itself and to the broader market.

Merck: Pipeline-Driven Growth Beyond Keytruda

Merck & Co. NYSE: MRK took investors on a roller coaster ride in 2025, falling to a low of around $72, which was approximately 45% down from the all-time high it made in June 2024.

Like the other stocks on this list, MRK stock has been a tough hold in the last three years, delivering a total return of just over 10%. Merck relies on its blockbuster drug, Keytruda, for just under 50% of its revenue.

The drug won’t face the patent cliff until 2028, but institutional investors are forward-looking. They want to know how the company plans to fill that gap.

The issue is similar to one that AbbVie Inc. NYSE: ABBV faced with its Humira drug. But AbbVie has successfully made up for that lost revenue. Merck has to prove it can do the same.

The reason to believe it can is the company’s pipeline. For starters, it’s trying to get Keytruda approved for different indications. The company also has 16 oncology drugs in late-stage trials. If just one or two of those are approved in the next couple of years, the revenue issue is solved.