The Best Stocks to Invest $1,000 in Right Now

Long-term investing is about building your portfolio brick by brick. That could mean adding money weekly, monthly, or whenever you have extra cash on hand. How much you can invest at a time is all relative, but $1,000 is a nice round number. If you had that much to put into the market, where would you look?

Evergreen sectors are always a great starting point. These are industries that never go out of style. Take healthcare stocks, for example. People will always need care, and there's always a push to innovate and develop better ways to provide it.

It's also a massive market. The United States racked up nearly $5.3 trillion in healthcare spending in 2024. That number has risen steadily for decades, and there's little reason to think it won't continue to rise. In other words, healthcare remains an excellent industry in which to invest your capital.

Here's why CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP), Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS), and Danaher (NYSE: DHR) are arguably the best stocks you can buy with $1,000 right now.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

1. A promising growth stock packed with long-term upside

CRISPR Therapeutics is a textbook example of healthcare innovation. The company is an emerging leader in CRISPR genome editing, the science of editing a patient's DNA and reintroducing it into their body to treat various cancers, diseases, and other conditions that traditional pharmaceuticals cannot treat.

The company co-developed Casgevy, a one-time treatment for sickle cell disease, with Vertex Pharmaceuticals. It's CRISPR Therapeutics' first product to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Commercialization is still slowly ramping up, which has made CRISPR stock a bit volatile this year. Shares currently trade in the low end of their 52-week range.

The biotech has four other treatments undergoing clinical trials, including Zugocaptagene Geleucel, an experimental CAR-T therapy for cancer.

CRISPR's market value of $5.1 billion feels pricey given that analysts expect only $36 million in sales this fiscal year, but growth can happen in spurts, especially with another pipeline success. Analysts currently expect the company's sales to soar to $145 million next fiscal year as it continues to sell Casgevy.

2. An oversold animal health leader

Zoetis is a leading animal health company with a broad range of medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic products for livestock and companion animals. Animal health is a lucrative niche with long-term growth potential. Demand for animal proteins should continue to rise as the global population grows and emerging economies steadily mature. Younger Americans are also spending more money on pets than previous generations, another good sign for Zoetis moving forward.

Wall Street has hammered the stock over the past couple of years. Librela, a monoclonal antibody treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) pain in canines, sparked controversy due to links to severe side effects and animal deaths. Consumers brought a class action lawsuit against Zoetis. Although a judge ultimately dismissed the lawsuit, the terrible publicity has crushed Librela's sales. People pulling back on vet visits has also dragged on business.

At this point, Zoetis has fallen to just 11 times 2026 earnings estimates. Consider that Zoetis has typically traded at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 37 over the past decade, and analysts still expect the company to grow earnings by an average of 9% annually over the next three to five years. The selling seems way overdone at this point, positioning the stock for strong returns going forward.

3. A proven compounder with more upside left

Danaher owns several biotech, diagnostics, and life sciences businesses, making it a key partner for healthcare's most innovative companies. The stock has returned more than 30,000% over the past few decades, outperforming the broader stock market by a mile.

But that's the past. Danaher stock is currently down 40% from its high roughly two years ago. The company has dealt with a bit of a post-pandemic hangover. COVID-19 vaccine development boosted sales, but that dropped off.

Mergers and acquisitions are a big part of Danaher's identity, and management is tapping that to try to spark growth again. Danaher closed its $9.9 billion acquisition of Masimo earlier this month. Masimo is a leader in pulse oximetry technology, which measures the oxygen levels in your blood. The company has a strong presence in hospitals, giving Danaher's diagnostics business a potential shot in the arm.

Danaher's slide values the stock at approximately 21 times its 2026 earnings estimates, and analysts expect the company to grow earnings by an average of 9% over the next three to five years. No, the past doesn't guarantee the future. That said, it's hard not to like this legendary market-beating healthcare stock with a P/E in the low 20s.

Justin Pope has positions in Danaher and Zoetis. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends CRISPR Therapeutics, Danaher, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Zoetis. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.