NEWARK WEATHER

4 Awe-Inspiring Growth Stocks You’ll Regret Not Buying in the New Nasdaq Bull


Putting your money to work on Wall Street is bound to come with its highs and lows. In successive years since the decade began, all three major stock indexes have traded off bear and bull markets, with the growth-stock-powered Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) vacillating the most.

During the 2022 bear market, the Nasdaq Composite brought up the caboose. It lost 33% of its value, which represented a notably worse performance than the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500. But since the start of 2023, the Nasdaq has been leading the charge. It’s up more than 55% in a little over 14 months and recently took out its previous record high, which was set in November 2021.

A bull figurine set atop a financial newspaper and in front of a pop-up of a volatile but rising stock chart.

Image source: Getty Images.

But don’t think for a moment that, just because the Nasdaq Composite is breaking records, deals can’t still be found. With the “Magnificent Seven” doing most of the heavy lifting, bargains among growth stocks can still be uncovered for opportunistic long-term investors.

What follows are four awe-inspiring growth stocks you’ll regret not buying in the new Nasdaq bull market.

Visa

The first magnificent growth stock you’ll be kicking yourself for not adding to your portfolio, even with the Nasdaq taking out new highs, is payment-processing company Visa (NYSE: V).

All companies face headwinds — even industry leaders like Visa. The “enemy” of financial stocks is recessions. Financial companies are cyclical and usually rely on economic growth to expand their bottom lines. If select money-based metrics and predictive indicators are accurate, the U.S. economy could dip into a recession later this year, which would almost certainly curb spending and reduce the number of aggregate transactions by consumers and businesses.

However, it makes a lot of statistical sense to remain optimistic about the U.S. economy. Whereas three-quarters of all recessions since 1945 have resolved in under a year, the bulk of expansions over the same stretch have stuck around for multiple years, if not a full decade. Businesses like Visa are ideally positioned to take advantage of the natural expansion of the U.S. and global economy over time.

On a more company-specific level, Visa is the undisputed leader in credit card network purchase volume in the United States. It holds a nearly 42% share and was the only one of the major payment processors to enjoy significant share expansion following the Great Recession.

Furthermore, it has a lengthy runway to expand its payment infrastructure into overseas markets. Africa, Southeastern Asia, and the Middle East remain largely underbanked, and cross-border volume has been Visa’s fastest source of consistent payment growth.

The final piece of the puzzle for Visa is that it’s strictly remained a payment processor. During recessions, lending institutions have to set aside capital to cover loan delinquencies and potential loan losses. Since Visa doesn’t lend, it has superior financial flexibility and few profit margin headwinds.

Lovesac

A second awe-inspiring growth stock you’ll regret not scooping up with the Nasdaq in a relatively young bull market is furniture company Lovesac (NASDAQ: LOVE). Yes, I did just use “furniture company” and “growth stock” in the same sentence.

Generally speaking, the furniture industry is slow-growing, highly cyclical, and dependent on foot traffic into brick-and-mortar stores. It’s an industry that’s been ripe for disruption for a long time… and Lovesac has answered the call.

The most front-and-center differentiating factor for Lovesac is its furniture. Nearly 90% of the company’s net sales trace back to its “sactionals” — modular couches that can be rearranged dozens of ways to fit most living spaces. The yarn used in sactionals is made from recycled plastic water bottles, which speaks to the eco-friendliness of the product. Meanwhile, sactionals have more than 200 different cover choices, which ensures they’ll match the color or theme of any room.

In addition to functionality, optionality, and eco-friendliness, Lovesac’s price points provide a competitive edge. With the ability to add wireless charging and surround sound, sactionals tend to be pricier than traditional sectional couches. But this is precisely what management wants. Lovesac’s targeted customer tends to have a higher income, and is therefore less likely to alter their spending habits during periods of minor economic disruption.

Lovesac’s omnichannel sales platform is another reason for its success. Though it does have physical stores in 40 states, the company leans on its online presence, popup showrooms, and select brand-name partnerships to keep its inventory levels under control and lower its overhead expenses. The result has been superior margins among furniture stocks.

Lovesac looks to be a steal at 10 times forward-year earnings.

A person wearing gloves and a sterile full-body coverall who's closely examining a microchip in their hands.

Image source: Getty Images.

Intel

The third striking growth stock you’ll wish you’d purchased during the early stages of the Nasdaq bull market is semiconductor…



Read More: 4 Awe-Inspiring Growth Stocks You’ll Regret Not Buying in the New Nasdaq Bull