2 Monster Stocks to Hold for the Next 5 Years

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • E-commerce site MercadoLibre serves the underpenetrated but growing Latin American region.

  • Coffee shop chain Dutch Bros plans to double its store count over the next four or five years.

  • 10 stocks we like better than MercadoLibre ›

The U.S. stock market is off to a tepid start this year, roughly flat about six weeks in. There's a lot going on in the macro environment, with mixed signals from the economy and the large companies that dominate the market.

If you're worried about investing, consider the famous words from legendary investor Warren Buffett about being greedy when the market is fearful. If you can hold on for many years, now is a great time to buy top stocks.

Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI) and Dutch Bros (NYSE: BROS) are two monster stocks that should reward you well over the next five years and longer. Here's why.

A person with a piggy bank.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. MercadoLibre

MercadoLibre is a powerhouse tech company serving 18 Latin American countries. Its core business is e-commerce, but it has a robust financial technology, or fintech, business as well.

It continues to demonstrate momentum across its enterprise with high growth, strong profitability, and new products and services, but since technology is underused in its home region, the long-term opportunity is still vast.

As the top e-commerce company in the region, MercadoLibre is leveraging its platforms to attract new users and bring about a larger shift to e-commerce, which is underpenetrated compared to other parts of the world. In the 2025 third quarter, gross merchandise volume increased 35% year over year (currency neutral), while items sold were up 39%, and unique active buyers were up 26%.

Management noted that e-commerce penetration could double over the next few years, which would mean its market would double. It likes to be ahead of the curve, so it's introducing many initiatives to create the shift and benefit, such as lowering its free shipping threshold in its largest market, Brazil.

MercadoLibre's fintech business is expanding even faster than e-commerce. Total payment volume increased 54% in the quarter, while monthly active users were up 29%. Assets under management were up 89%, and the total credit portfolio rose 83%.

The company has a huge growth runway, and MercadoLibre stock could soar over the next five years.

2. Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros is a small but growing coffee shop chain with just over 1,000 stores in the U.S. It plans to reach 2,029 stores by 2029 and 7,000 over the longer term, presenting incredible growth opportunities.

Revenue increased 29% year over year in the 2025 fourth quarter, and net income was up from $6.4 million to $29.2 million. Comparable sales, which measure how well existing stores are growing, increased 7.7%.

Management has plans to boost sales in the coming years, beginning with its store expansion strategy. It recently rolled out mobile ordering, and it's adding a food menu to generate higher engagement. It's a primarily drive-thru enterprise, but it has been piloting different store types, and a new walk-up shop in Los Angeles has been its top-performing location, with three times the number of order-ahead transactions than the average.

As Dutch Bros reports high growth, opens new stores, and gains loyal fans, it looks like a no-brainer for strong gains over the next five years.

Should you buy stock in MercadoLibre right now?

Before you buy stock in MercadoLibre, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and MercadoLibre wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $415,256!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,133,904!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 889% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of February 18, 2026.

Jennifer Saibil has positions in Dutch Bros and MercadoLibre. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Dutch Bros and MercadoLibre. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
USD/JPY Price Forecast: Continues to hold key support level around 152.00The USD/JPY pair trades 0.27% higher to near 153.70 during the European trading session on Wednesday.
Author  FXStreet
13 hours ago
The USD/JPY pair trades 0.27% higher to near 153.70 during the European trading session on Wednesday.
placeholder
Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple – BTC, ETH and XRP face downside risk as bears regain control Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) remain under pressure on Wednesday, with the broader trend still sideways. BTC is edging below $68,000, nearing the lower consolidating boundary, while ETH and XRP also declined slightly, approaching their key supports.
Author  FXStreet
16 hours ago
Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) remain under pressure on Wednesday, with the broader trend still sideways. BTC is edging below $68,000, nearing the lower consolidating boundary, while ETH and XRP also declined slightly, approaching their key supports.
placeholder
Gold declines to near $4,850 as low liquidity, easing tensions weigh on demandGold price (XAU/USD) attracts some sellers to around $4,860 during the early Asian trading hours on Wednesday. The precious metal falls amid thin holiday trading, with much of Asia closed for the Lunar New Year.
Author  FXStreet
20 hours ago
Gold price (XAU/USD) attracts some sellers to around $4,860 during the early Asian trading hours on Wednesday. The precious metal falls amid thin holiday trading, with much of Asia closed for the Lunar New Year.
placeholder
EUR/USD Forecast: Euro weakens as risk mood soursEUR/USD struggles to find a foothold and trades at a fresh weekly low below 1.1850 after closing in negative territory on Monday. In the absence of high-impact data releases, the risk-averse market atmosphere could make it difficult for the pair to stage a rebound.
Author  FXStreet
Yesterday 08: 55
EUR/USD struggles to find a foothold and trades at a fresh weekly low below 1.1850 after closing in negative territory on Monday. In the absence of high-impact data releases, the risk-averse market atmosphere could make it difficult for the pair to stage a rebound.
placeholder
Gold weakens as USD uptick and risk-on mood dominate ahead of FOMC MinutesGold (XAU/USD) attracts some follow-through selling for the second straight day and slides to the $4,922 area during the Asian session on Tuesday amid thin liquidity on the back of the Lunar New Year holidays in China.
Author  FXStreet
Yesterday 05: 58
Gold (XAU/USD) attracts some follow-through selling for the second straight day and slides to the $4,922 area during the Asian session on Tuesday amid thin liquidity on the back of the Lunar New Year holidays in China.
goTop
quote