When it comes to the stock market, the fastest growth usually comes from small companies, as they have room to run. It’s a lot easier for a company worth $5 million to double in value than it is for one worth $1 trillion, for example.
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But just because a company is worth a certain dollar amount doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good or a bad investment. Many well-known companies, for example, are up a lot in 2025 but are still highly recommended by analysts. Other popular companies have lagged the performance of the overall market in 2025 but still represent good buying opportunities.
Here’s a look at some big-time companies on both ends of the spectrum that might still be worth buying.
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Apple (AAPL)
Price as of August 7, 2025: $220.03
YTD performance: -11.92%
12-month analyst price target: $233.11
Apple has been a market darling for years, but for the first half of 2025, the bloom came off the rose a bit. A combination of factors have created uncertainty for the company, which never translates to good results for a stock. Concerns over China, tariffs, sluggish artificial intelligence (AI) development and an overall unimpressive new product roster have weighed on the company. However, on July 31, Apple posted its biggest revenue growth since December 2021, putting the company back in the sights of analysts and investors alike, according to CNBC.
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Amazon (AMZN)
Price as of August 7, 2025: $223.13
YTD performance: 1.70%
12-month analyst price target: $261.03
The press has focused more on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s extravagant Italian wedding than his company in 2025, but that may actually be creating an opportunity in the stock. As the largest online retailer in the world, Amazon benefits across multiple verticals as long as the economy remains strong. While, according to Forbes, concern over a potential recession and the effect of tariffs has held the stock back this year, discretionary spending has proven surprisingly resilient. Although the company might go through cycles, it’s a long-term winner.
Meta Platforms (META)
Price as of August 7, 2025: $761.83
YTD performance: 30.33%
12-month analyst price target: $858.63
Meta Platforms has been on an absolute tear since Nov. 2022. After losing an incredible 64% that year, according to StatMuse, the stock has absolutely soared, gaining 188% in 2023, 67% in 2024 and over 27% YTD thus far in 2025. While those types of gains may scare off some investors, they’re an indication of immense momentum and investors can’t get enough. The company has been firing on all cylinders, tightening up cost controls, generating new and growing sources of revenue and focusing on AI, the buzzword of the 2020s. Analysts see continued success ahead for the company.
Nvidia (NVDA)
Price as of August 7, 2025: $180.77
YTD performance: 34.63%
12-month analyst price target: $183.38
Nvidia has been on a multi-decade run, making it one of the best performers in the whole stock market over the past 3-, 5-, 10- and 15-year periods. But analysts think there’s no reason to get out now. In fact, some see the AI boom as throwing fuel on Nvidia’s engines for years and years to come. The stock is notoriously volatile and got knocked down violently to the mid-90s in the April market selloff, losing more than one-third of its value. But since then, the stock has essentially doubled, showing the appetite investors have for this tech darling.
*Victoria’s Secret & Co. (VSCO)
Price as of August 7, 2025: $21.63
YTD performance: -47.59%
12-month analyst price target: $21.60
Victoria’s Secret gets an asterisk because while it is certainly a well-known company that hasn’t performed well in 2025, it’s also a much riskier option. Retail in general can be a tricky investment and specialty retail often goes through boom and bust cycles, the worst of which can send a company into bankruptcy. Analysts are decidedly tepid on the company’s prospects for the next 12 months, but if you’re a more aggressive investor, this is definitely a high-risk, high-reward type of stock.
Caveats
You should never buy any stock that doesn’t match your investment objectives and risk tolerance. You should also never buy at stock based on a tip from a friend or a random article on the internet. Do your own research to find out what’s really going on with a company’s financials and future prospects and make your own decisions, perhaps in consultation with a financial advisor. Remember, even though the stocks on this list are by-and-large long-term winners, many now trade at lofty valuations and have appreciated sharply since the market’s April lows. Invest for the long-term so you can recover from any short-term selloffs.
Editor’s note: Stock information was sourced from Yahoo! Finance and is current as of August 7, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Popular Stocks Still Worth Buying
