Here are ten companies The Motley Fool favors as long-term stock ideas for October 2026. They are a starting point for research—not a forecast of short-term winners, a personalized recommendation, or a ready-made diversified portfolio. The publisher cautions that suitability depends on an investor’s goals and risk tolerance, and that any of these shares could fall.
What this October stock list does—and does not—tell you
The Motley Fool’s October 2026 list presents ten U.S.-listed companies in a displayed order, but it is not an objective ranking of expected returns. Its article was updated September 3, 2026; its displayed price and market-cap figures are dated October 3, 2026, so those figures should be checked again before relying on them. The list spans several industries, but the publisher explicitly says it is not fully diversified. The Motley Fool’s October buy-and-hold picks.
Business descriptions and operating figures below reflect the publisher’s account of company results and investment theses, not independent forecasts. The numbers describe past activity; they do not establish what a stock will return or whether its current price is attractive.
The 10 stocks, in the publisher’s displayed order
1. Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB)
Airbnb operates a lodging and experiences marketplace. The Motley Fool reports that the company booked more than 148 million nights and experiences in Q2 2026 and generated over $27 billion in gross booking value, up 16% year over year. Its long-term case rests on travel demand, platform scale, cash generation, and potential expansion in stays and experiences. Those results are historical operating figures, not a forecast; travel demand and competition can change.
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2. CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD)
CrowdStrike sells cybersecurity software through its Falcon platform. The bull case is that a growing platform can benefit from security data and network effects as more customers adopt it. The uncertainty is whether agentic AI will make security threats more severe, alter how security software is delivered, or do both. Investors need to weigh platform adoption against the possibility of rapid technological change.
3. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
Apple combines consumer devices with services. The Motley Fool’s thesis points to iPhone demand, AI features that could encourage upgrades, and the higher-margin Services business. The key questions are whether customers continue replacing devices, whether new features create meaningful upgrade demand, and whether services can sustain growth amid competition and regulatory scrutiny.
4. MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI)
MercadoLibre combines Latin American e-commerce, payments, logistics, and lending. The Motley Fool reports nearly $22 billion in Q2 2026 merchandise volume, up 44% year over year, and more than $400 billion in annualized payment volume. Growth across commerce and payments could support the business, while its Mercado Crédito lending expansion brings asset-quality risk: a larger loan book can also mean greater exposure to defaults and local economic conditions.
Rank #2
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5. Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG)
Intuitive Surgical sells robotic surgery systems and earns recurring revenue from instruments and services. The publisher reports Q2 2026 revenue growth of 19% and growth of 16% in performed da Vinci procedures. Greater adoption outside established markets is a potential long-term driver, but investors should distinguish procedure growth from the costs, pace, and economics of expanding the installed base.
6. Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP)
Shopify provides merchant commerce software, payments, and related services. Its investment case depends on merchant adoption and the continued expansion of online commerce. The Motley Fool reports about $13.3 billion in revenue over the prior four quarters and says e-commerce represented slightly more than 17% of U.S. retail sales. The latter is a market statistic, not a guarantee that Shopify will capture a particular share of future retail growth.
7. Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS)
Disney spans entertainment, parks, cruises, and streaming. The Motley Fool highlights park demand, a stated decade-long investment program, and efforts to improve streaming profitability. The investment question is whether those initiatives produce returns that justify the capital committed. Results in one division do not necessarily offset weaker performance or execution challenges in another.
8. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B)
Berkshire Hathaway is a diversified holding company, not a single-sector growth business. Buying its shares gives exposure to a broad collection of operating businesses and investments. The Motley Fool’s data presentation includes both share classes, but its ten-stock list names BRK.B. The mix of holdings makes Berkshire different from a focused technology, healthcare, or consumer company; its prospects depend on the underlying businesses, investment decisions, and valuation.
9. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN)
Amazon combines e-commerce with AWS cloud computing and adjacent businesses. Its thesis draws on online retail and cloud growth, but these operations have different competitive dynamics, capital needs, and execution risks. Consider each business separately rather than assuming that strength in one automatically resolves challenges in another.
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Alphabet’s Google Services includes advertising and consumer platforms, while Google Cloud is another potential growth driver. The Motley Fool notes competition with AWS and Microsoft Azure in cloud computing. Advertising exposure, competition across products, and the ability of cloud growth to translate into durable profits are distinct parts of the case.
Rank #4
How to compare the ten before investing
These companies are not interchangeable. A useful comparison starts with the business and then moves to the stock’s price and its place in your overall finances:
- Revenue drivers and end markets: Separate travel, cybersecurity, devices and services, commerce and lending, medical procedures, entertainment, retail, and cloud computing. Consider how demand and competition differ in each.
- Growth, profitability, and cash generation: Fast sales or activity growth is not the same as durable profit or cash flow. Check how each company funds expansion and whether growth is translating into sustainable economics.
- Valuation relative to growth and risk: A strong company can still be an unsuitable investment at a price that assumes too much future success. Compare valuation with plausible growth, margins, and downside risks rather than relying on a stock list alone.
- Competitive position and disruption: Assess platform advantages alongside threats from established rivals, new products, and technological shifts. This is particularly relevant to cybersecurity, consumer technology, and cloud services.
- Geography, regulation, and currency: International operations may expose a company to local economic conditions, foreign-exchange movements, and differing rules. These factors are material for businesses such as MercadoLibre and Airbnb, as well as global technology and consumer companies.
- Portfolio role and concentration: Ten company names do not automatically create broad diversification. Check whether your other holdings already concentrate you in the same sector, growth style, or economic risks.
Other October picks are based on different screens
Investing.com’s separate October 2026 screen names Afya (AFYA), Harmony Biosciences (HRMY), Chord Energy (CHRD), Strategic Education (STRA), and ZTO Express (ZTO). Investing.com says its monthly selections draw on S&P 500 companies with strong InvestingPro health scores and prices below proprietary fair-value estimates, combined with analyst assessments. These model-based scores and estimates are not audited measures or guarantees, and the screen is not independent proof that its picks—or The Motley Fool’s ten—will outperform. Investing.com’s October 2026 stock screen.
Day Hagan Asset Management’s October 2, 2026 sector update offers broader market context rather than ratings of these particular companies. It cites higher financing costs, uneven upward earnings revisions, weaker consumer confidence, and the sensitivity of energy earnings to oil prices as factors shaping its allocations. Those observations can inform a market-risk discussion, but they do not establish the outlook for any one stock on this list. Day Hagan’s October 2026 sector update.
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What to decide before buying an individual stock
First decide whether a single-stock investment fits your financial plan at all. Your time horizon, ability to absorb a loss, existing holdings, and need for accessible savings matter more than a monthly list. If you want broad market exposure as a portfolio core, a diversified broad-market fund is one alternative to building a portfolio from individual picks; it has its own risks and is not a substitute for choosing an allocation that suits you.
If you do research a company, review its latest filings and results, compare its valuation with your assumptions, and decide in advance how much of your portfolio you are willing to expose to that business and its risks. Do not treat the October 3 market-data snapshot as a current quote or assume that a publisher’s long-term thesis determines your purchase price or holding period.
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