Forget Apple: These Unstoppable Stocks Are Better Buys

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is once again the world's largest company (as measured by market cap) right now. It's also one of the most profitable (as measured by total profits generated).  But that wasn't always the case. It earned its way to these accolades with sustained growth largely set in motion by 2007's debut of the iPhone.

However, investors know that past performance is no guarantee of future results. What got Apple to where it is today doesn't seem to be working quite as well lately. Sales of its top products have been stagnant for a couple of years, in fact. While the stock's been soaring since May 1 (up 38%), it's currently sitting just 6% above analysts' consensus price target. Weakness may well be on the horizon. That has some investors considering other options.

So, if you're looking for a new pick, there are three better options than Apple to consider.

1. Amazon

There's no sense in not beginning with the market's most fruitful stock pick of this century so far. That's Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) , of course. Shares of the e-commerce giant are up an amazing 257,000% since the company's 1997 initial public offering , soaring in step with the expansion of the then-nascent internet.

The company's fastest growth and the stock's fastest gains are likely in the past, of course, as the e-commerce market is mature even if it's not yet at its peak potential But there's still plenty of growth in store given Amazon's more nascent business lines.

One of these young ventures is cloud computing. Although Amazon Web Services only accounts for about 16% of the company's revenue, this revenue grew 13% year over year in 2023. Given that cloud computing services already drive roughly two-thirds of the company's operating income, even merely modest growth on this front could remain impactful. That's what makes Mordor Intelligence's outlook for the global cloud computing market so compelling for Amazon shareholders. The research outfit expects an annualized growth rate of 16% through 2029.

The company's e-commerce platform is also evolving. Although it still generates revenue and earnings on every item sold at Amazon.com, it's generating much more higher-margin revenue as an advertising platform . Sellers paid a total of nearly $47 billion last year to more prominently feature their products at the well-trafficked website, monetizing it in a way that wasn't even an afterthought just a few years back.

Again, neither Amazon nor Amazon stock will repeat the feat achieved during the first 30 years of the company's existence. The next 30 years, however, could still be pretty darn rewarding.

2. Broadcom

You've almost certainly heard of the company. You may not know, however, a single thing Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) manufactures. That's because nearly everything it makes is found on the inside of the electronics you regularly rely on. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, fiber-optic connection components, data-storage device boards, and a wide range of automation software are just a sampling of its offerings. Without Broadcom's tech, the world would look considerably different.

More important to interested investors, the need for Broadcom's technologies isn't going away anytime soon, if ever. Consumers and corporations alike are far too reliant on mobile phones, wireless networking, data centers (for artificial intelligence), and cybersecurity -- all markets that Broadcom serves -- to simply cease using them now.

Also know that Broadcom's technology remains well protected by patents. It holds more than 45,000 of them, with roughly one-third of them in active use right now, according to Insights by GreyB. Just late last year the company successfully enforced a key patent against streaming powerhouse Netflix .

3. Coca-Cola

Finally, add Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) to your list of unstoppable stocks to buy instead of Apple.

It's obviously a very different outfit than either Amazon or Broadcom. It operates a slow-growth, cash-driving business that generates tons of reliable cash. Indeed, the beverage behemoth hasn't just been able to pay a dividend like clockwork for decades now. It's raised its annual payment every year for the past 62 years; the most recent increase was a 5.4% improvement, extending a long streak of inflation-beating payout growth. Coke shares are also up a hefty 26,400% for that time frame, bolstering the gains stemming from its reliable dividend payments.

It's a tough act to follow to be sure. In fact, the next 62 years aren't apt to be nearly as fruitful for shareholders as the past 62 have been. There's just too much competition in the well-developed and highly competitive beverage business these days.

That doesn't mean the next six decades, however, still can't be amazingly rewarding.

See, while Coca-Cola's business isn't complicated, the company handles the most crucial aspects of it brilliantly. That's marketing, mostly. It's been able to use lifestyle-oriented advertising to create brand names and product logos that consumers readily recognize. Purchasing its products has become a habit for many of its customers.

It's also worth pointing out that operating in the consumer staples space makes it easier for the company to continue selling goods to a crowd that might occasionally rethink purchases of more cyclical products and services like automobiles, vacations, or home improvements. More to the point, this competitive edge within a resilient business should keep The Coca-Cola Company's stock reliably chugging along.

It will never be a growth stock, to be clear. What the company lacks in growth firepower, however, it more than makes up for in consistent forward progress.

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Netflix. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .