Stock splits often signal management's confidence in their company's sustained upward trajectory, typically following a significant increase in share price. These corporate actions can boost investor interest by making shares more accessible while reflecting optimism about future earnings and growth opportunities. However, the value and stability behind these splits differ across companies.
In this context, three stocks stand out as strong candidates for a buy-and-hold strategy spanning at least ten years, supported by robust business fundamentals and ongoing innovation: Amazon, Netflix, and Nvidia.
Amazon's Expansive Ecosystem and Cloud Dominance
Amazon (AMZN) has a history of stock splits, completing four to date, with the latest being a substantial 20-for-1 split in June 2022. This recent split marked the company's first in over twenty years, a milestone after splits in June 1998, January 1999, and September 1999. Since the 2022 split, Amazon's shares have appreciated approximately 170%, highlighting strong market performance.
The cornerstone of Amazon’s profitability lies in Amazon Web Services (AWS), the foremost global cloud infrastructure provider. AWS acts as a critical driver of operating profits, especially as the explosion of artificial intelligence amplifies the demand for significant computing resources. Amazon’s investment in proprietary AI chips, such as Trainium and Inferentia, underpins its ability to offer competitive, cost-effective solutions, thereby securing a leading position in a rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Beyond cloud services, Amazon's advertising segment has emerged as a prominent profit contributor. Leveraging its unique position as a retailer with direct access to consumer purchasing data, Amazon delivers targeted, intent-based advertising. This high-margin business is expanding faster than its traditional e-commerce operations, effectively drawing in sellers and brands that seek efficient marketing channels.
Amazon's e-commerce platform remains formidable despite a maturing growth rate. Enhanced by a vast logistics network, extensive inventory, and competitive pricing, the segment maintains a durable competitive moat. Continued investments in automation and robotics promise increased operational efficiency and margin expansion going forward.
The Prime membership program, boasting over 240 million subscribers globally, fosters deep customer loyalty and a network effect that reinforces Amazon’s ecosystem. Inclusive benefits such as expedited shipping, diverse streaming content, and healthcare services bolster user engagement and spending. In the third quarter, the company posted net sales of $180.2 billion, a 13% year-over-year increase. Operating income reached $17.4 billion, driven by AWS growth of 20% to $33 billion and a 22% rise in advertising revenue to $17.7 billion.
Netflix's Evolving Revenue Model and Global Reach
Netflix (NFLX) has undertaken multiple stock splits throughout its evolution, including a 2-for-1 split in 2004, a 7-for-1 split in 2015, and most recently, a 10-for-1 split in November 2025. This last move became effective on November 17, 2025.
While Netflix’s primary revenue stream remains its subscription base, the company is strategically diversifying into growth areas. The rapidly expanding ad-supported streaming tier is expected to double its revenue in 2025. Additional ventures into gaming, live sports, and merchandising diversify Netflix’s revenue and offer new growth avenues.
Transitioning from a focus solely on subscriber expansion, Netflix prioritizes profitable growth. This approach has enhanced operating margins and free cash flow generation significantly. In the third quarter of 2025, the company posted revenues of $11.5 billion, reflecting a 17% year-over-year growth, with an operating margin of 28% and free cash flow reaching $2.7 billion. Netflix projects full-year free cash flow close to $9 billion for 2025.
As the leading global streaming service, Netflix faces market saturation in the U.S. and Canada but retains substantial subscriber growth potential internationally. Growth opportunities are particularly pronounced in regions like Asia, Europe, and Latin America, supported by investment in high-quality localized content. Hits like "Squid Game" and "Stranger Things" exemplify Netflix’s ability to produce programming that resonates worldwide, aiding retention and subscriber acquisition.
Netflix also exhibits strong pricing power, evidenced by subscription fee increases implemented without major subscriber losses. The company's extensive content library combined with rich viewer data delivers competitive advantages challenging for rivals to replicate. Potential acquisitions, such as the contemplated purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery studios, could further consolidate Netflix's market position and content dominance, notwithstanding possible regulatory challenges.
Nvidia's Leadership in AI and Data Center Solutions
Nvidia (NVDA) has completed six stock splits, most recently a 10-for-1 split on June 10, 2024. Prior to this, the company executed a 4-for-1 split in 2021. Following the latest split, Nvidia shares have appreciated by roughly 55%.
Nvidia’s pivotal role in powering the AI revolution, backed by strong financial performance and a defensible market position, has propelled the company into new growth territory. The third quarter of fiscal 2026 (ending October 2025) saw record revenues of $57 billion, a 62% increase year-over-year, alongside earnings per share of $1.30. These results were fueled by strong sales in the data center segment and Blackwell GPUs. The data center division alone generated $51.2 billion in revenue, marking a 66% gain from the previous year.
With an estimated 80% to 90% market share in data center AI chips, Nvidia’s GPUs have set industry standards for AI training and inference. The company’s significant competitive advantage stems from its proprietary CUDA software platform, which has become the default for GPU-accelerated computing.
Major AI development frameworks are finely tuned for CUDA, and a community of millions of developers globally relies on this ecosystem to develop and optimize applications. This network effect results in shared resources, extensive third-party support, and tools that rivals find difficult to replicate.
The integration depth of CUDA into existing workflows and institutional knowledge creates substantial switching costs for customers. Nvidia continuously enhances the CUDA platform to align with the latest GPU architectures, sustaining its leadership in performance.
Demand for Nvidia’s upcoming chips, including those based on Blackwell and Rubin architectures, remains extremely strong, with an order backlog estimated at $500 billion through the end of 2026. The company is also broadening its presence into sectors such as robotics, autonomous vehicles, and industrial digital twins, addressing potential multitrillion-dollar markets. These strategic moves underscore Nvidia’s long-term growth potential for investors.
Conclusion
Amazon, Netflix, and Nvidia exemplify companies that have not only instigated stock splits to make shares more accessible but have also demonstrated solid business strategies, market leadership, and innovation across their respective industries. Their recent performance, coupled with ongoing investments and expansion into new market areas, positions them as promising candidates for investors seeking long-term growth and resilient returns.