3 Brilliant Growth Stocks to Buy Now and Hold for the Long Term

If you are a growth investor, you have to tread with a bit of caution today, given that the market is trading near all-time highs even as geopolitical tensions are on the rise. However, there are still good options across the risk spectrum.

For those who throw caution to the wind, Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) is nearing an important inflection point. For those with more moderate risk tolerances, Visa (NYSE: V) has a good growth record, and a drawdown has the stock looking reasonably priced again. For risk-averse investors, utility NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE) could be a good fit, given its brilliant dividend history. Here's a quick look at each one of these growth stocks to get your research started.

Rivian is about to introduce the R2

Rivian is an upstart electric vehicle company seeking to leverage new technology to break into the highly competitive automotive sector. It has already made great strides, including reaching scale production with its award-winning electric trucks. However, investors have soured on the EV sector, given that so many EV start-ups have fallen by the wayside.

Image source: Getty Images.

But Rivian is one of a small number of EV companies that continues to move forward. Notably, it turned a gross profit in 2025, as management promised. And it has $6 billion in cash on its balance sheet to get it to its next big goal, the 2026 launch of the R2, a mass-market truck. If that truck does as well as the company hopes, it will be an important step on the way to becoming a sustainably profitable company. Aggressive growth investors may want to buy now, before the launch.

Visa's drawdown has it looking attractive

Visa's stock price has declined about 15% from its recent highs. The stock's price-to-earnings ratio is currently around 30x, which is a touch below its five-year average P/E of 33x. The company is hardly cheap, but a reasonable price will probably be an attractive entry point for most investors in this growing business. Historically speaking, Visa looks reasonably priced right now.

That said, the company's business foundation remains as strong as ever. Demand for its services, which safely facilitate cashless financial transactions, is only likely to keep rising as the use of paper money continues to decline. Notably, it processed 10% more transactions in 2025 than it did in 2024. And, the dividend has grown at an annualized rate of 17% over the past decade. That's a huge number. Although the dividend yield is a miserly 0.8%, growth and dividend growth investors should both see Visa's drawdown as an attractive opportunity.

NextEra Energy is an unusual utility

Utilities are supposed to be boring income investments, but that's just not the case with NextEra Energy. Sure, the 2.7% dividend yield is well above the market's 1.1%, but its annualized dividend growth over the past decade was roughly 10%. Half that level of dividend growth would be considered good for a utility.

NextEra Energy achieved this dividend growth by mixing a boring regulated utility operation with a fast-growing clean energy business. Given the ongoing shift toward cleaner energy sources, it seems likely that NextEra Energy will see further growth as it continues to expand its clean energy business. If you are a conservative investor looking for a growth stock or a growth-and-income stock, you'll want to get to know NextEra Energy.

Choose your risk/reward preference and dive in

Rivian, Visa, and NextEra Energy aren't going to appeal to the same types of investors given their very different risk profiles. However, all three have attractive growth prospects and long-term appeal. Regardless of your appetite for risk, there's likely something here that will interest you.

Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends NextEra Energy and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.