You cannot pick a stock going solely by past performances. A golden streak in the past does not necessarily mean that the stock will continue to perform well in the future. Here are a few things you need to consider: Prefer large companies for long-term share investment as they are stable and provide steady returns. Smaller companies struggle for market share, which keeps their long-term survival less than assured. Have a look at the business and financial performance of the company. A company with strong fundamentals is always a better option for the long term than one with high returns but dubious financials. Make sure that the stocks you plan to invest in performed well in recent times. Your long-term investment in stock market must have a good trading volume. This adds liquidity to the stock. High promoter holding is an important factor in deciding how to pick stocks for the long term.