Megatrends Still Matter: 3 Growth Stocks for the Next 10 Years

Key Points

• Eli Lilly is capitalizing on multiple healthcare megatrends, including blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, oncology innovation, and Alzheimer’s research.
• Vertiv sits at the center of the AI infrastructure boom, providing power and cooling systems for energy-intensive data centers.
• First Solar benefits from the long-term shift toward clean energy, supported by domestic manufacturing advantages and strong demand from hyperscalers.

A megatrend is a long-term shift that affects many aspects of society and shapes the future over many decades. The internet would be an example of a megatrend, and perhaps more specifically, the smartphone.

Investing in technology stocks like Amazon.com Inc. NASDAQ: AMZN, Microsoft Corp. NASDAQ: MSFT, Apple Inc. NASDAQ: AAPL during that time would have been contrarian moves that paid off handsomely. In fact, those stocks continue to deliver for shareholders on the back of these trends.

That leads to the question: What are the megatrends today that can reward investors for the next 20 or 30 years? Certainly, stocks dealing with artificial intelligence (AI) will be the most widely cited.

But that’s far from the only megatrend. There’s an aging global population creating unprecedented demand for breakthrough medical treatments. There’s also an emerging energy story. Specifically, how do we rethink how power is generated, managed, and delivered? The following three companies are positioned at the intersection of these megatrends, making them a potential compounder for patient, long-term investors.

A Diversified Play on Healthcare Megatrends

It’s fair to think that the reason Eli Lilly & Co. NYSE: LLY is on this list is its leadership in GLP-1 drugs. Mounjaro and Zepbound are recognized leaders in type 2 diabetes and obesity, respectively. These are two conditions that contribute significantly to rising healthcare costs in the country.

In its most recent quarter, Mounjaro accounted for $7.4 billion in global sales. That’s over a third of the total revenue of $19.29 billion. Zepbound accounted for approximately $4.5 billion. Both drugs continue to have a large, addressable market, and Lilly isn’t sitting idly by. The company has an oral GLP-1 drug candidate, Orforglipron, that is currently in Phase 3 trials.

But the long-term megatrend case for Lilly doesn’t end with GLP-1s. Eli Lilly is also on the cutting edge of two other potential megatrends: oncology treatments and Alzheimer’s disease treatments.

The company has a deep pipeline of candidates in both categories. Plus, it has a well-capitalized balance sheet that reduces dependency on one specific trial.

In the last five years, LLY stock has delivered stock price growth of over 380%. When factoring in the company’s dividend, the total return in LLY stock has been over 400% over the same period. That may make some investors nervous. However, several bites at the megatrend apple make LLY an obvious choice for investors looking for stocks to buy and hold for the next 10 years.

The Backbone of the AI Data Center Boom

No list of megatrend stocks for the next 10 years could leave out at least one artificial intelligence (AI) stock. That leads us to Vertiv Holdings Inc. NYSE: VRT.

AI models require massive amounts of power, which is driving the buildout of data centers. More importantly, those data centers require massive amounts of 24/7 power. That’s where Vertiv comes in. The company provides power management, cooling systems, and other solutions that data centers require.

This demand resulted in strong fourth-quarter and full-year growth in 2025 that’s expected to continue in 2026, and likely beyond.

VRT stock has only been a publicly traded company for five years. However, in that time, shareholders have been treated to share price growth of over 1,200%.

That includes a dividend that has been growing for the last two years.

Clean Energy Infrastructure for a Power-Hungry World

The energy megatrend is one of the most durable investment themes of the coming decades. The electrification of transportation, the proliferation of AI-driven data centers, and the global push to decarbonize power grids are all converging to create enormous demand for clean electricity generation. First Solar Inc. NASDAQ: FSLR is one of the best-positioned companies to capitalize on that demand.

Unlike many of its solar competitors, First Solar manufactures its panels domestically in the United States using its own proprietary thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology.

That domestic manufacturing footprint gives the company a meaningful structural advantage in a policy environment that continues to favor American-made clean energy products.

It also insulates First Solar from some of the supply chain vulnerabilities and tariff risks that affect competitors who rely on overseas production.

Demand for utility-scale solar installations continues to grow, driven in part by the same data center buildout benefiting Vertiv. Hyperscalers and other large technology companies have made significant renewable energy commitments. First Solar’s order backlog reflects this demand, extending years into the future and providing a level of revenue visibility that is rare in the energy sector.

Despite a rough time for solar stocks in the last three years, FSLR stock is up over 150% in the last five years. Analysts have a consensus price target of around $249, representing a gain of over 25%.