3 American Growth Giants to Invest in for the Long Haul

Many of the best growth stocks in the world are based out of the U.S. This is the land of both opportunity and innovation. Warren Buffett has always been bullish on betting on the U.S. because he's a big believer in American business.

If you want to follow suit and invest in some of the country's best growth stocks, there are three excellent names that I don't think you can go wrong with in the long term: Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), and Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW). These three stocks are growth beasts, and they still have plenty more room to run over the long haul.

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Nvidia

Chipmaking giant Nvidia, one of the most valuable companies in the world, is based out of Santa Clara, California. Its history goes back more than 30 years to 1993. One of the remarkable features of this business is that it has had only one CEO, Jensen Huang, who co-founded the company. That's a good sign of continuity and underscores just how stable the business has been over the years.

In its most recent fiscal year, which ended on Jan. 26, the company reported $130 billion in revenue, which was more than double the $61 billion it posted a year earlier, as demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) chips remains robust. But what impresses me most is just how incredible its profit margins are: typically well north of 50%.

Nvidia is based in the U.S. but it isn't immune to the effects of tariffs or trade wars, especially with China being a key market for its operations. But with such high profit margins, it's in much better shape than other companies to be able to absorb higher costs and headwinds related to economic uncertainty. That's why this can be a no-brainer growth stock to buy right now.

Eli Lilly

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly is another great American growth stock to buy and hold. Founded in 1876, its history goes back nearly 150 years. And for decades, the business has been developing vital medicines for people to help improve their lives.

One of the more exciting ones of late has been related to weight loss and obesity. Its GLP-1 drug Tirzepatide resulted in two highly successful products for Eli Lilly: Zepbound for weight loss and Mounjaro for diabetes. Together, those drugs generated more than $6 billion in sales through the first three months of 2025, representing nearly half of the top line, which rose by 45%.

What's exciting here is that there is still so much potential for these drugs to generate more growth since they are still in their early stages. Plus, there are studies suggesting that GLP-1 drugs could even help with substance abuse by curbing addictions, which means there may be even more indications that tirzepatide is approved for in the future.

And yet, Eli Lilly's business goes beyond just GLP-1, which is why this can be a fantastic growth stock to buy and hold. Tariffs could increase its costs, and a global trade war would affect its bottom line. But it, too, has some solid profit margins at around 22%.

Palo Alto Networks

Rounding out this list of impressive American growth stocks is Palo Alto Networks, a cybersecurity company founded 20 years ago. Like Nvidia, its headquarters is also in Santa Clara. And as all things related to AI grow, businesses and consumers alike will need to ramp up their cybersecurity.

Since the need for cybersecurity is ongoing, the company benefits from a large chunk of its top line being from recurring revenue. Its subscription and support segment generated $1.8 billion in sales for the quarter ended April 30, which accounted for 80% of its top line (product revenue made up the rest). And while overall revenue rose by 15%, the annualized recurring revenue for the company's next-generation security rose by 34%.

Palo Alto's profit margin of 15% is light when compared to the other stocks on this list, but that's still a solid percentage of revenue flowing through to its bottom line. And it's a big improvement from just a few years ago when the business was still in the red.

Results for the company's fiscal 2025 third quarter (ended April 30) included revenue of $2.3 billion, up from $2 billion a year ago. GAAP net income was unchanged at $300 million for the quarter.

Palo Alto has come a long way in recent years, and while it may look like an expensive stock, trading at more than 100 times its trailing earnings, that valuation should improve as it continues to scale up and its margins get even better.

While Palo Alto may experience a slowdown in business if a trade war affects spending, its top line relies heavily on software and support services, making it less vulnerable to tariffs than other stocks. For long-term investors, this can be another solid stock to own given the huge opportunities in cybersecurity in the years ahead.

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David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Palo Alto Networks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.