Which companies are built to last?

Durable businesses keep their margins when times are hard, turn profits into cash year after year, and carry little debt. They tend to fall less in bad markets, which makes them the foundation of a portfolio rather than its excitement.

Updated Jun 25, 2026

% of S&P 500

7 pass every test

7 S&P 500 companies pass all three tests: steady margins, reliable cash flow and a strong balance sheet. Financials has the most, with 5.

245 companies with five years of historyMeasured within each sectorPassing means 60 or more on every test

The 60 most durable companies

Each test is a score from 0 to 100 against the company’s own sector. Select a row for its chart. Select a column to sort.

Company	Durability	Steady margins	Reliable cash	Balance sheet	Operating margin	Sector
FFIV F5, Inc.	83Durable	94	58	97	25%	Information Technology
SNA Snap-on	81Durable	91	56	96	25%	Industrials
EW Edwards Lifesciences	81Durable	92	57	95	28%	Health Care
SCHW Charles Schwab Corporation	81Durable	87	61	94	43%	Financials
RF Regions Financial Corporation	80Durable	85	61	96	29%	Financials
EA Electronic Arts	80Durable	86	59	95	15%	Communication Services
CME CME Group	80Durable	96	61	83	66%	Financials
REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals	79Durable	95	57	84	24%	Health Care
EXPE Expedia Group	79Durable	98	59	80	16%	Consumer Discretionary
RL Ralph Lauren Corporation	78Durable	91	59	83	15%	Consumer Discretionary
CF CF Industries	78Durable	81	71	81	36%	Materials
MNST Monster Beverage	77Durable	74	57	100	29%	Consumer Staples
FAST Fastenal	77Durable	84	56	92	20%	Industrials
MTB M&T Bank	77Durable	80	61	90	31%	Financials
BKNG Booking Holdings	76Durable	100	59	69	34%	Consumer Discretionary
ISRG Intuitive Surgical	75Durable	75	57	93	30%	Health Care
ADBE Adobe Inc.	75Durable	98	58	70	37%	Information Technology
ADSK Autodesk	75Durable	99	58	69	25%	Information Technology
EOG EOG Resources	73Durable	95	59	64	37%	Energy
PPG PPG Industries	73Durable	86	71	62	13%	Materials
TPR Tapestry, Inc.	70Durable	93	59	57	11%	Consumer Discretionary
GRMN Garmin	69Solid	57	58	93	26%	Consumer Discretionary
AXP American Express	69Solid	90	61	58	21%	Financials
INTU Intuit	69Solid	92	58	57	27%	Information Technology
V Visa Inc.	69Solid	89	61	56	61%	Financials
TROW T. Rowe Price	68Solid	56	61	87	30%	Financials
GWW W. W. Grainger	68Solid	72	56	76	14%	Industrials
CTAS Cintas	68Solid	86	56	62	23%	Industrials
AMP Ameriprise Financial	67Solid	55	61	86	27%	Financials
FCX Freeport-McMoRan	67Solid	52	71	76	28%	Materials
GOOGL Alphabet Inc. (Class A)	67Solid	66	59	75	33%	Communication Services
NKE Nike, Inc.	67Solid	69	59	72	6%	Consumer Discretionary
SPG Simon Property Group	67Solid	93	62	47	48%	Real Estate
SHW Sherwin-Williams	67Solid	100	71	29	16%	Materials
MSFT Microsoft	66Solid	72	58	67	47%	Information Technology
CL Colgate-Palmolive	66Solid	86	57	54	21%	Consumer Staples
CVX Chevron Corporation	65Solid	64	59	73	8%	Energy
NVDA Nvidia	65Solid	63	58	73	64%	Information Technology
AIZ Assurant	65Solid	65	61	69	9%	Financials
ADP Automatic Data Processing	65Solid	88	56	51	19%	Industrials
MA Mastercard	65Solid	86	61	49	59%	Financials
AMT American Tower	65Solid	87	62	47	44%	Real Estate
ECL Ecolab	65Solid	90	71	33	17%	Materials
ROST Ross Stores	64Solid	41	59	93	12%	Consumer Discretionary
XOM ExxonMobil	64Solid	45	59	86	9%	Energy
NTAP NetApp	64Solid	70	58	65	22%	Information Technology
CRM Salesforce	64Solid	80	58	55	21%	Information Technology
PG Procter & Gamble	63Solid	69	57	63	23%	Consumer Staples
CCI Crown Castle	63Solid	80	62	47	48%	Real Estate
BIIB Biogen	63Solid	85	57	46	16%	Health Care
NEM Newmont	62Solid	19	71	95	53%	Materials
TJX TJX Companies	62Solid	46	59	81	12%	Consumer Discretionary
JNJ Johnson & Johnson	62Solid	79	57	49	27%	Health Care
ORLY O’Reilly Automotive	62Solid	80	59	48	20%	Consumer Discretionary
PLD Prologis	62Solid	77	62	47	39%	Real Estate
LRCX Lam Research	61Solid	40	58	85	34%	Information Technology
COF Capital One	61Solid	42	61	79	4%	Financials
TT Trane Technologies	61Solid	53	56	73	18%	Industrials
DOV Dover Corporation	61Solid	69	56	59	17%	Industrials
PEP PepsiCo	61Solid	80	57	46	15%	Consumer Staples

How to read this page

How it’s measured. Each company is scored within its own sector, so a utility is compared with utilities and a software company with software companies.

Sources. Company financial statements from Financial Modeling Prep; scores from Stox.

Durability combines three tests, each scored against the company’s sector: how stable its margins have been, how consistently it turns profit into free cash, and how strong its balance sheet is.

In our research durability is a risk reducer rather than a return signal: durable companies have fallen less in bad markets without reliably beating the market.

This page is information, not investment advice. About our data and methods ›

Most durable businesses on Stox ›

More on business quality

Which companies are growing fastest?78Strong growth›Which companies grow earnings every year?49 with 5+ years›Who is outgrowing its rivals?239 outgrowing their rivals›Whose profit margins are widening?100Near record margins›Which businesses are getting better?69Above normal›Which companies earn the most on their capital?150 earn 15% or more›Whose cash flow backs up their earnings?267 backed by cash›Which companies get the most from each employee?148 bring in $1M+ a head›Which companies invest the most in research?$758.2B a year›Who is spending big on expansion?$1.46T a year›

See all questions ›