The S&P 500 may be hitting new highs, but that doesn’t mean every stock is. Investors are feeling a fresh burst of confidence as oil prices come down, but some individual stocks aren’t feeling the love.
Consider Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP), MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI), and Carnival (NYSE: CCL)(NYSE: CUK). These are stocks with strong long-term prospects that are all down this year.
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Here’s why these stocks could be excellent investments over the long term.
1. Shopify
Since its expansion from what was essentially a turnkey e-commerce setup for entrepreneurs looking for simple and powerful options into a large business offering a broad assortment of commerce services, Shopify has developed its brand into a competitive force in all kinds of commerce.
2025 was another excellent year for the e-commerce giant, with a 30% increase in sales, an acceleration, and a 17% free-cash-flow margin.
It’s a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, and agentic artificial intelligence (AI) has arisen as a cheaper means of accomplishing many of the tasks that SaaS subscriptions often take care of. Many SaaS companies have been working to integrate AI into their models to demonstrate their continued relevance, Shopify included. It recently launched Shopify Catalog, a massive list of products from any of its merchants that want to be included, that is searchable on AI platforms and shopping sites.
Expect Shopify to bounce back, as it has in the past, and provide value for shareholders.
2. MercadoLibre
MercadoLibre is a powerhouse e-commerce and fintech company operating in Latin America. It’s growing quickly and has a massive opportunity, but profits contracted in the most recent quarter, sending the stock down.
Investors shouldn’t ignore the potential here. Sales increased 47% year over year (currency neutral) in the 2025 fourth quarter, with a 7% increase in gross merchandise volume and a 53% increase in total payment volume. Because its region still lags many other parts of the world in both of its core segments, it should be able to maintain high growth for many years. It consistently rolls out new products and services to improve its value proposition and attract more business to help with the shift.
In these efforts, there are times when it has to invest a lot to lay the groundwork for the future. That’s what’s happening today, and the margin pressure should ease as the investments pay off. However, at that point, you may not have the opportunity to buy in at a low price.