The Best Stocks to Buy With $1,000 Right Now
Key Points
Amazon continues to fire on all cylinders.
AbbVie is a Dividend King with a bright future and attractive valuation.
Viking Holdings is practically inflation-proof thanks to its pricing power in the luxury cruising market.
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Ask 10 different investors what the best stocks are to buy, and you could very well get 10 different answers. There's admittedly a lot of subjectivity involved.
Timing is important, too. If you asked me what the best stocks to buy were five years ago, my response would almost certainly differ from my answer today. Companies' business prospects and market dynamics change.
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What are the best stocks to buy right now? If you have $1,000 to invest, three stocks stand out to me.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Amazon
Although my picks for the best stocks to buy change over time, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is a perennial contender. The world's largest consumer discretionary company by market cap continues to fire on all cylinders.
Amazon's net sales increased 17% year over year in the first quarter of 2026 to $181.5 billion. The company expects similar sales growth in the second quarter, with guidance projecting a year-over-year increase of 16% to 19%.
The big story for Amazon is its cloud services business, Amazon Web Services (AWS). In Q1, AWS generated 59% of Amazon's total operating income. Revenue for the cloud unit soared 28% year over year to $37.6 billion, the fastest growth rate in 15 quarters. There are no signs of this momentum slowing.
However, Amazon's other businesses are performing well, too, delivering double-digit percentage sales growth. Advertising is an especially great success story. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy thinks that agentic AI will expand the company's advertising opportunities.
I also like Amazon now because of its prospects in providing satellite internet service with its LEO business. Jassy told analysts in the Q1 earnings call that Amazon LEO will offer better performance and lower costs for customers. He said, "I think the business has a chance to be a very large, many-billion-dollar revenue business."
2. AbbVie
Despite the major market indexes hitting record highs, there's significant uncertainty in the air. AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) is the kind of stock you can buy and sleep peacefully at night.
For one thing, the big drugmaker is a member of the Dividend Kings -- an elite group of stocks that have increased their dividends for at least 50 consecutive years. This status alone speaks volumes about the company's long-term stability.
Speaking of dividends, AbbVie's dividend yield is 3.3%, which income investors should like. Value investors may also be interested in the stock. AbbVie's shares trade at only 14.4 times forward earnings, well below the S&P 500's (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) forward earnings multiple of 20.4 and the healthcare sector average of 17.3.
AbbVie has also bounced back nicely from its Humira patent cliff. The company's revenue jumped 12.4% year over year in Q1, led by its immunology and neuroscience portfolios. AbbVie's future continues to look bright, with a pipeline featuring around 90 programs, roughly two-thirds of which are in mid- or late-stage clinical development.
3. Viking Holdings
In my view, the time is ripe to load up on inflation-proof stocks (or, at least, stocks that are highly resistant to the effects of inflation). Viking Holdings (NYSE: VIK) looks like an excellent choice that fits the bill.
The company dominates the luxury cruising market. It commands market shares of 52% in North American outbound river cruises and 27% in the luxury ocean cruising market. Condé Nast Traveler has named Viking No. 1 in river and ocean cruises for five consecutive years. Travel + Leisure also rated Viking a "World's Best." No other cruise line or company in the broader travel industry has received these honors simultaneously.
As you might expect, Viking's customers tend to be affluent and older. That's an ideal demographic if inflation rears its ugly head again. Viking should have no problems passing along higher costs if needed.
The company has clear financial visibility. Roughly 86% of its capacity for all of 2026 was sold out by mid-February. Viking also continues to see strong growth from repeat guests and new customers. As a result, the luxury cruise leader is expanding its fleet, with 23 new river ships ordered over the next two years.
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*Stock Advisor returns as of May 3, 2026.
Keith Speights has positions in AbbVie and Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AbbVie, Amazon, and Viking. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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