The Best Stocks to Invest $1,000 in Right Now

By Keith Speights – Mar 23, 2026 at 4:44AM ESTKey PointsGoogle parent Alphabet is arguably the best all-around AI stock on the market.Chevron is an ideal stock with soaring oil prices but is also well-positioned for the long term.Eli Lilly has tremendous growth prospects in multiple therapeutic areas.High energy costs. High stock valuations. High volatility. It's enough to make an investor feel low. The good news is that there are still plenty of great stocks to buy despite the market uncertainty. I'm talking about investing in companies with competitive advantages, financial strength, relatively low risk profiles, and strong growth prospects. Here are my picks for three of the best stocks to invest $1,000 in right now. Image source: Getty Images. 1. Alphabet I firmly believe that Alphabet (GOOG 2.25%) (GOOGL 2.01%) is the best all-around artificial intelligence (AI) stock on the market. Pick an area within the broader AI arena -- large language models (LLMs), AI chips, self-driving cars, robotics, etc. Alphabet is a leader in practically all of them. Alphabet's Google Cloud has become an overwhelming success. Its revenue skyrocketed 48% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025, the fastest growth among the top three cloud service providers. Google Cloud is also highly profitable now, generating around 15% of Alphabet's total operating income in Q4. ExpandNASDAQ: GOOGLAlphabetToday's Change(-2.01%) $-6.17Current Price$300.96Key Data PointsMarket Cap$3.6TDay's Range$298.29 - $305.7652wk Range$140.53 - $349.00Volume1.6MAvg Vol32MGross Margin59.68%Dividend Yield0.28% Of course, Alphabet still makes most of its money from advertising on Google Search, YouTube, and other platforms. Thanks in part to AI, the company's ad revenue continues to grow robustly. Integration of the Gemini AI model with Google Search in the AI Overviews and AI Mode functions has even boosted search traffic. Alphabet is also one of the most attractively valued "Magnificent Seven" stocks, in my opinion. Its shares trade at less than 23 times projected 2027 earnings. This AI giant is a textbook example of a stock that offers growth at a reasonable price. 2. Chevron If there's any stock that's right for the moment, it's Chevron (CVX +0.12%). Iran's interference with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has caused oil prices to skyrocket. So has Chevron's share price. ExpandNYSE: CVXChevronToday's Change(0.12%) $0.24Current Price$201.68Key Data PointsMarket Cap$403BDay's Range$201.21 - $205.0652wk Range$132.04 - $205.08Volume592KAvg Vol12MGross Margin14.66%Dividend Yield3.43% However, Chevron isn't a great pick only because of the current geopolitical crisis. It ranks as the world's third-largest energy company by market cap. Chevron's scale and financial strength make it a reliable stock to own even when oil prices fluctuate. Management targets double-digit adjusted free cash flow and earnings-per-share growth. Chevron is the largest player in the natural gas market, with strong growth prospects over the next few years. The company's acquisition of Hess gives it a significant opportunity to increase production in Guyana. Chevron is also uniquely positioned in Venezuela as the only major U.S. oil company to maintain a presence there over the years. I can't talk about Chevron without mentioning its dividend. The company has increased its dividend for an impressive 39 consecutive years. Its dividend yield currently tops 3.5%. What if oil prices fall? No problem. Chevron can cover its dividend payments and all capital expenditures, even if oil prices sink below $50 per barrel. 3.

Eli Lilly Investors often view big pharma stocks as safe ports in a storm. And there's no bigger pharma stock than Eli Lilly (LLY 1.29%). Lilly's tremendous growth in recent years has been driven primarily by its GLP-1 drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, which treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity, respectively. These two drugs together generated a whopping $36.5 billion in sales last year. But they still have plenty of growth opportunities ahead. ExpandNYSE: LLYEli LillyToday's Change(-1.29%) $-11.87Current Price$905.63Key Data PointsMarket Cap$857BDay's Range$899.48 - $925.0052wk Range$623.78 - $1133.95Volume162KAvg Vol3MGross Margin83.04%Dividend Yield0.69% However, Lilly's fortunes don't hinge entirely on the diabetes and obesity markets. The company's breast cancer drug, Verzenio, is a megablockbuster. Lilly is also a major player in treating autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer's disease, and other indications. The main knock against Lilly is its valuation. I think, though, that the drugmaker's growth potential justifies a premium price. While Lilly's shares trade at nearly 27 times projected 2026 earnings, the stock's forward earnings multiple based on 2030 earnings projections is only around 15x. Read NextMar 22, 2026 •By Matt DiLalloBetter Oil Stock: Chevron vs. Occidental PetroleumMar 22, 2026 •By Lee Samaha3 Energy Stocks You'll Want to Own if Oil Soars Above $100 per BarrelMar 21, 2026 •By Scott Levine2 Great Dividend-Paying Oil Stocks to Buy as Oil SurgesMar 20, 2026 •By Stefon WaltersWhat Is One of the Best Energy Stocks to Hold for the Next 10 Years?Mar 19, 2026 •By Reuben Gregg BrewerHere's What Falling Oil Prices Mean for These 3 Energy StocksMar 19, 2026 •By Thomas Niel3 of the Best Energy Stocks to Buy Right NowAbout the AuthorKeith Speights is a contributing Motley Fool healthcare analyst covering publicly traded companies across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, technology, and marijuana. Prior to The Motley Fool, Keith was CEO of Constant Care Technology, a healthcare technology company; vice president of American HealthTech, a healthcare software company; and a director of operations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, a health insurer. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University.TMFFishBizStocks MentionedChevronNYSE: CVX$201.73(+0.14%)+$0.29AlphabetNASDAQ: GOOGL$300.96(-2.01%)-$6.17Eli LillyNYSE: LLY$905.63(-1.29%)-$11.87AlphabetNASDAQ: GOOG$298.85(-2.25%)-$6.88*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.