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These three have been core positions for me for a while, and I'm still adding when sentiment gets weak.
Netflix is probably the most debated one, but I still like the setup. Q1 revenue grew 16% YoY and operating income grew 18%, while management is still guiding for about $50.7B to $51.7B in 2026 revenue with a 31.5% operating margin. That's not exactly a broken business. The ad tier, paid sharing, and live content strategy still give them levers beyond just raising subscription prices.
Mastercard is the cleanest compounder of the group in my opinion. Q1 net revenue was up 12% on a currency-neutral basis, gross dollar volume grew 7%, and value-added services grew 18%. It's not the cheapest stock, but this is one of those businesses where the model does most of the work. Asset-light, high margins, strong network effects, and exposure to global consumption without taking direct credit risk.
Meta is the one with the most noise around it, mostly because of AI spending, but the core business is still printing. Q1 revenue was up 33% YoY, operating margin was 41%, and free cash flow came in around $12.4B. The market can argue about capex all it wants, but the ad machine is clearly not dead. AI is already helping with recommendations, targeting, and engagement, even if the full payoff is still hard to measure.
None of these are exciting "next big thing" trades. They are just high-quality businesses with real cash flow, strong competitive positions, and enough growth left that I'm comfortable adding over time. I'd rather build around companies like this than constantly chase whatever sector is hot for two weeks.