Got $5,000? 3 Growth Stocks to Buy and Hold Through 2030.

If you have some extra cash that you won't need for several years, putting it into growth stocks with durable competitive advantages could pay off. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) leads in AI computing, Spotify Technology (NYSE: SPOT) in audio streaming, and ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) in software that runs companies' daily operations. Better yet, all three trade at discounts to their typical valuations. Here's why they're worth buying now.

Nvidia

Nvidia designs the chips and computing systems that power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Management expects AI infrastructure spending to reach $3 trillion to $4 trillion a year by the end of the decade. That's industrywide spending, not Nvidia's revenue, but Nvidia can capture a large share of it.

The stock is up about 18% over the past year, slightly ahead of the S&P 500's 13%, as revenue doubled year over year to about $96 billion in the quarter ending July 26, 2026. Management expects revenue to grow about 70% next fiscal year.

That outlook reflects a chip industry experiencing component shortages, including for memory chips. Nvidia's advantage is that it sees both ends of the AI supply chain. At the September Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology conference, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang explained that Nvidia's size and decades-long relationships with trusted suppliers help it lock in what it needs. On the other end, it sells through the big cloud providers, server makers like Dell, newer AI cloud companies, and governments building their own AI.

That reach lets Nvidia track where new data centers are being built and powered around the world, giving it an early read on demand. It also gives Nvidia many paths to customers beyond a handful of tech giants. Nvidia said its non-hyperscaler revenue grew 138% year over year last quarter to $40 billion, almost as large as the $48 billion in revenue from hyperscalers like Microsoft.

Nvidia stock trades at about 23 times this year's consensus earnings estimate -- well below its three-year average of about 32. For a company that analysts expect to grow earnings at a 50% annualized rate, that's a solid value.

Image source: Getty Images.

Spotify Technology

Spotify's music, podcast, and audiobook service reaches 788 million monthly users, including 306 million paying subscribers. Its 2030 targets call for mid-teens annual revenue growth and an operating margin above 20%, up from 13.5% in the third quarter.

At the September Goldman Sachs conference, co-CEO Gustav Söderström said the longer Spotify operates in a country, the more listeners pay. In Sweden, about half the population pays, and conversion has trended up in other regions. Yet only 3% to 4% of the world pays for a Spotify subscription. Management aims to reach 1 billion monthly users by 2030 and, eventually, 1 billion subscribers.

The stock is down about 15% over the past year after higher spending on AI features and marketing weighed on profit forecasts. Some also fear AI music will lure listeners away, but a recent deal with Universal Music mitigates this risk. The deal allows Spotify to launch AI cover tools for fan-made remixes of their favorite songs, which adds another incentive for users to sign up for a premium subscription.

Spotify stock trades at about 42 times forward earnings estimates, below its three-year average of about 55. That's not too expensive for a company that analysts expect to grow earnings at an annualized rate of 28% over the next several years. That should support superior returns.

ServiceNow

ServiceNow's cloud software helps large organizations run IT help desks and customer service. At its May 2026 investor day, management laid out a base case of over $30 billion in subscription revenue by 2030, roughly double this year's expected total. It's on schedule, with subscription revenue up about 25% year over year in the June-ending quarter.

The stock is down about 17% over the past year amid worries that AI agents will lead to fewer paid employee "seats," or licensed users at businesses. But management said that half of its new business comes from pricing not tied to seats, suggesting the concerns are overblown.

Looking long-term, the main reason to buy the stock is ServiceNow's entrenched position in customers' operations. At the Goldman Sachs conference in September, CEO Bill McDermott said ServiceNow has spent more than 20 years building a contextual map of what goes on inside a company and now runs over 100 billion workflows. Companies that tried building their own AI tools found they cost five to 10 times more than using ServiceNow.

At about 38 times forward earnings estimates, ServiceNow stock trades well below its three-year average of about 48. With analysts expecting about 24% annual earnings growth over the next several years, the stock could outperform the market from here through 2030.

John Ballard has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Goldman Sachs Group, Microsoft, Nvidia, ServiceNow, and Spotify Technology. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.