Tom And David Gardner’s 10 Top Stock Picks For 2025
Explore the Motley Fool founders' best stock recommendations for long-term growth investors.
Who Are Tom and David Gardner?
Tom and David Gardner are the co-founders of The Motley Fool, one of the most respected investment advisory firms in the financial industry. Through their decades of investment expertise and rigorous stock analysis, they have built a reputation for identifying high-growth companies before they reach mainstream recognition. Their investment philosophy focuses on long-term value creation, identifying businesses with strong competitive advantages, and understanding market trends that drive future growth. The Gardner brothers have consistently demonstrated an ability to spot emerging technologies and business models that reshape entire industries, making their stock recommendations highly sought after by individual and institutional investors alike.
The Top Stock Picks by the Gardner Brothers
1. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN)
Amazon represents one of the Gardner brothers’ flagship stock recommendations. As a pioneering e-commerce and cloud computing giant, Amazon has fundamentally transformed multiple industries since its inception. The company’s dominance in online retail is complemented by its Amazon Web Services (AWS) division, which generates substantial recurring revenue through cloud infrastructure solutions. Amazon’s ecosystem approach, from Prime membership to digital streaming through Prime Video, creates multiple revenue streams and strengthens customer loyalty. The company continues to expand into new markets, including artificial intelligence, grocery delivery, and advertising technology. Amazon’s consistent revenue growth and market leadership position make it an essential holding for growth-focused portfolios seeking exposure to the digital transformation of retail and enterprise computing.
2. Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX)
Netflix stands as a transformative entertainment company that revolutionized content consumption through streaming technology. The Gardner brothers recognize Netflix’s exceptional performance as a pioneer in the streaming entertainment space. Netflix has evolved from a DVD rental service into a global content powerhouse with hundreds of millions of subscribers worldwide. The company’s proprietary recommendation algorithms, exclusive original content, and expanding international presence provide significant competitive moats. Netflix’s investment in diverse content genres—from documentaries and stand-up comedy to dramatic series and feature films—appeals to diverse audience segments. The platform’s crackdown on password sharing and expansion of advertising-supported tiers represent new revenue optimization opportunities. These factors have contributed to Netflix’s impressive historical returns, making it one of the Gardners’ most celebrated stock picks.
3. Shopify (NYSE: SHOP)
Shopify represents an innovative e-commerce infrastructure company that democratizes online retail for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The platform provides comprehensive solutions for merchants of all sizes, enabling solopreneurs with limited capital to establish and scale online storefronts. Beyond basic e-commerce functionality, Shopify offers integrated payment processing, inventory management, marketing tools, and fulfillment solutions. The company’s five-year annualized return reached 105.63% as of November 10, 2021, substantially exceeding the 30.20% five-year annualized return of the broader software application sector. While Shopify operates in a competitive market with various alternatives and emerging competitors, the company maintains leadership through continuous innovation and platform enhancement. The growing shift toward e-commerce adoption across retail sectors, combined with increasing demand from brick-and-mortar retailers seeking online expansion, positions Shopify for sustained growth in the digital economy.
4. Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA)
Tesla stands as the Gardner brothers’ premier electric vehicle stock recommendation and represents their bullish thesis on EV industry transformation. As the world’s most recognized electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla has established market leadership through innovative technology, manufacturing excellence, and visionary leadership. The company’s electric vehicles combine performance, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology, appealing to environmentally conscious consumers seeking premium vehicles. Tesla’s competitive advantages extend beyond vehicles to energy storage solutions, solar technology, and autonomous driving capabilities. While traditional automakers like Ford and General Motors rapidly accelerate their EV development programs, Tesla maintains first-mover advantages in brand recognition, charging infrastructure, and software development. The Gardner brothers’ confidence in Tesla reflects broader conviction that electric vehicles represent the future of transportation and that Tesla will maintain significant market share in this transformational industry.
5. Disney (NYSE: DIS)
The Walt Disney Company represents a diversified media and entertainment powerhouse that the Gardners recognize as a cornerstone holding for long-term investors. Disney’s unparalleled portfolio includes ABC, a major U.S. broadcast network, ESPN, the global sports media brand dominating sports coverage worldwide, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, two of the most successful film studios of the 2010s, 21st Century Fox with its massive content library, Hulu as a major competitor to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and Hollywood Records as a storied music publisher. Disney’s integrated approach to content creation, distribution, and monetization creates multiple revenue streams and cross-promotional opportunities. The company’s streaming platform strategy, international expansion, and theme park operations provide diversified income sources beyond traditional media. Disney’s iconic characters, beloved franchises, and technological innovation in entertainment positioning the company for sustained growth as consumer preferences continue evolving toward streaming and digital content delivery.
6. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
Apple represents the Gardner brothers’ conviction in premium consumer electronics and ecosystem-driven business models. If you’re reading this article on a mobile device, there’s a good chance it’s an iPhone—the handset that kickstarted the smartphone revolution and transformed Apple’s financial trajectory. The iPhone has driven Apple’s business growth more than any other consumer electronics product since the advent of the personal computer. Beyond iPhones, Apple continues launching and updating successful products including iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, creating an integrated ecosystem that encourages customer loyalty and recurring revenue. Apple’s recent diversification into electric and autonomous vehicle systems demonstrates strategic vision for emerging transportation technology. Through its deep financial reserves and vast technical expertise, Apple possesses capabilities to pose competitive threats to EV specialists like Tesla and established automakers, though these initiatives don’t significantly drive current revenue. Apple’s brand strength, customer loyalty, and ability to command premium pricing provide durable competitive advantages in increasingly competitive consumer electronics markets.
7. MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI)
MercadoLibre represents the Gardners’ thesis on emerging market e-commerce and fintech expansion in Latin America. The company has achieved breakneck expansion, establishing itself among the top growth stocks of the 2010s and representing one of the Gardners’ most successful recommendations historically. MercadoLibre dominates as the top e-commerce player across Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Chile, providing comprehensive online retail solutions to Latin American entrepreneurs. Beyond marketplace services, MercadoLibre’s MercadoPago division functions as a leading regional online payment provider, while MercadoCredito offers valuable short-term financing solutions for emerging digital merchants. This integrated approach positions MercadoLibre as a comprehensive ecosystem serving the entire financial and commercial needs of digital merchants across Latin America. The company’s five-year annualized return reached 57.80% as of November 10, 2021, doubling the 28.45% five-year annualized return of the broader Internet retail sector. MercadoLibre’s growth trajectory reflects the explosive expansion of digital commerce and financial services adoption across emerging markets with growing middle classes and increasing internet penetration.
8. NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA)
NVIDIA represents the Gardners’ conviction in artificial intelligence, data center transformation, and computing power demands. NVIDIA manufactures the graphics processing units (GPUs) that serious computer gamers depend on to minimize lag times and maximize visual resolution, establishing the company as a market leader in the GPU space. Beyond gaming, NVIDIA’s GPUs are widely utilized in rapidly growing commercial applications including data centers, artificial intelligence model training, and cryptocurrency mining. The Gardners and The Motley Fool Stock Advisor team remain bullish on NVIDIA’s prospects as these high-growth sectors expand substantially over the coming years. Anticipating explosive data center growth, NVIDIA acquired data center company Mellanox in 2020, strengthening capabilities in this critical market segment. NVIDIA’s dominant position in GPU technology, combined with accelerating AI adoption across enterprise and consumer applications, positions the company to capitalize on the computational infrastructure revolution reshaping technology markets globally.
9. The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD)
The Trade Desk represents the Gardners’ recognition of programmatic advertising market consolidation and the emergence of ad-tech leaders. Though California-based The Trade Desk remains dwarfed by market capitalization compared to giants like Apple and Amazon, the company compensates through exceptional share price growth. The Trade Desk operates a platform connecting advertisers with digital inventory across web, mobile, and streaming platforms, capitalizing on the shift toward programmatic advertising. The company maintains technological advantages in real-time bidding, data analytics, and advertiser targeting capabilities. If The Trade Desk successfully maintains technological leadership against competitors like Google, the company possesses positioning to capture expanding advertising markets across emerging digital channels. The Trade Desk’s three-year annualized return reached 106.82% as of November 10, 2021, more than triple the 30.20% three-year annualized return of the broader software applications sector. This exceptional performance reflects investor recognition of the company’s market opportunity and execution excellence in the rapidly expanding programmatic advertising industry.
10. International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM)
IBM represents the Gardners’ thesis on corporate transformation and quantum computing emergence. After decades as a corporate technology powerhouse followed by a period of prolonged underperformance, IBM has experienced a renaissance during the last five years through strategic repositioning. The company possesses advanced technological capabilities in quantum computing, an emerging field expected to revolutionize computational capabilities and solving complex problems. IBM positions itself as a leader as quantum computing transitions from theoretical research to practical commercial applications. The company’s improved financial management and strategic focus on high-growth technology segments provide confidence in sustained performance improvements. IBM’s status as a multinational technology corporation with deep enterprise relationships, coupled with involvement in quantum computing development, positions the company attractively for investors seeking exposure to transformative computing technologies at a more conservative valuation relative to pure-play technology stocks.
Additional Growth Stock Recommendations
Progressive Insurance (NYSE: PGR)
Progressive Insurance stands as the technologically most advanced participant in the auto insurance industry, leveraging data analytics and artificial intelligence to optimize underwriting and risk management. The company’s marketing presence and brand recognition, combined with genuine technological advantages relative to competitors including Geico (owned by Berkshire Hathaway), provide sustainable competitive positioning. Progressive’s excellent financial management and operational execution contribute to consistent shareholder value creation.
Stride Learning (NASDAQ: LRN)
Stride Learning operates in online education, a sector experiencing fundamental transformation through technology adoption. The company’s business model addresses educational accessibility and flexibility needs, positioning it favorably as digital learning adoption accelerates globally. Stride Learning’s strong fundamentals and long-term growth prospects make it an excellent investment consideration for growth-focused portfolios.
Sterling Infrastructure (NASDAQ: STRL)
Sterling Infrastructure positions itself to benefit from substantial data center buildout driven by artificial intelligence and cloud computing expansion. The company’s infrastructure construction and engineering capabilities position it favorably to capture growth opportunities as enterprise and technology companies massively expand data center capacity worldwide.
Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB)
Rocket Lab represents the riskier end of growth stock recommendations, offering exposure to commercial space industry expansion. While SpaceX operates at substantially larger scale, Rocket Lab demonstrates exceptional execution, innovation, and financial strength. The company’s small satellite launch capabilities and vertical integration position it to capture niche opportunities in the expanding commercial space industry, making it an intriguing high-growth play for risk-tolerant investors.
Historical Performance of The Gardners’ Picks
The track record of David and Tom Gardner’s stock recommendations demonstrates exceptional long-term performance. Their early identification of NVIDIA in 2005 has generated returns exceeding 90,000%, while Netflix picks generated approximately 70,000% returns. More recent recommendations demonstrate continued strength, with APP up 38% as of April 2025, DoorDash up 42% as of May 2025, Lululemon Athletica up 33% as of August 2024, and Progressive up 35% as of August 2024. This consistent track record of identifying growth companies reflects the Gardners’ investment philosophy emphasizing fundamental business quality, competitive advantages, and long-term growth trajectories rather than short-term market movements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What investment philosophy guides the Gardner brothers’ stock selections?
A: The Gardners focus on identifying companies with strong competitive advantages, innovative business models, and long-term growth potential. They emphasize fundamental business quality over short-term price movements and seek companies that benefit from transformative industry trends and technological innovation.
Q: How do the Gardners’ stock picks perform compared to market indices?
A: Historical performance demonstrates exceptional outperformance. Picks like NVIDIA (90,000% returns) and Netflix (70,000% returns) significantly exceeded broader market returns. More recent recommendations also show strong performance, often generating double-digit returns within months of recommendations.
Q: Are the Gardners’ stock picks appropriate for all investors?
A: While the Gardners provide picks ranging from conservative to aggressive, individual suitability depends on risk tolerance, investment horizon, and financial objectives. The Gardners specifically rank recommendations from cautious (IBM, Progressive) to aggressive (Rocket Lab), allowing investors to select appropriate risk levels.
Q: How frequently do the Gardners update their stock recommendations?
A: The Gardners continuously monitor holdings and regularly introduce new picks as investment opportunities emerge. They provide ongoing analysis through The Motley Fool’s subscription services, updating recommendations based on changing market conditions and company developments.
Q: Should investors blindly follow the Gardners’ recommendations?
A: While the Gardners’ track record merits consideration, investors should conduct personal due diligence and ensure recommendations align with individual investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial circumstances. The Gardners’ recommendations provide guidance, not guaranteed outcomes.
References
- David and Tom Gardner – Top 10 Stocks Picks by The Motley Fool — Money Crashers. 2021-11-10. https://www.moneycrashers.com/david-tom-gardner-stocks-picks/
- Tom Gardner: Why I’m Still Buying These 5 Stocks — The Motley Fool. 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xe9MCVBKTo
- Motley Fool Stock Picks Revealed: 2025 Update for Investors — Wall Street Survivor. 2025-06-29. https://www.wallstreetsurvivor.com/motley-fool-stock-picks-revealed/
- The Motley Fool co-founders share their top 10 stock picks and more — Walker & Dunlop. 2024. https://www.walkerdunlop.com/webcast/motley-fool-co-founders-share-their-top-10-stock-picks-more
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