Morningstar · 25 Sep, 16:15 · Business briefing

The Best Companies to Own: 2026 Edition

Morningstar’s 2026 edition of The Best Companies to Own highlights organisations demonstrating robust financial health, competitive advantages, and strong shareholder returns.

What it means for you ↓ Courses for this story

26%average salary uplift after a professional certificate

2.7xfaster promotion for certified professionals

71%of leaders prefer candidates who upskill continuously

20days to your first credential

The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

Morningstar’s 2026 edition of The Best Companies to Own highlights organisations demonstrating robust financial health, competitive advantages, and strong shareholder returns. The list evaluates firms based on economic moats, management quality, and valuation metrics, identifying top performers across various sectors. This annual report serves as a critical benchmark for investors and professionals seeking to understand market leaders. It provides a factual overview of corporate stability and growth potential, offering insights into which businesses are currently positioned to thrive in the evolving economic landscape.

Employer demand for Business And Management skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)

Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This list signals where capital and talent are converging. Companies on this roster typically offer greater job security and resources for professional development. You should prioritise skills that drive sustainable value, such as strategic planning and financial acumen. Focus on understanding how these leaders maintain their competitive moats. Analyse their business models to identify transferable best practices. Networking within these organisations becomes increasingly valuable. Consider aligning your career trajectory with industries represented here. Develop expertise in areas critical to their continued success, such as operational efficiency and risk mitigation. A smart professional will use this data to inform job applications, ensuring they target employers with proven resilience and growth potential in the current market.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are Business And Management, Finance and Accounting, Strategic Marketing and Risk Management Strategies — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below

Matched to this story

Enrol in these
to benefit.

These programmes position you for exactly this shift — online, self-paced, and finishing with a verifiable certificate you can share the day you pass.