While value-oriented equities present arguably the safest investment platform during a market rout, contrarians may want to consider some of the more compelling and relevant growth stocks to buy. After all, these troubles likely won’t be a permanent affair. And at some point, the broader economy must get on with the business of moving on.
To be clear, you don’t want to get reckless with growth stocks. Certainly, with few market ideas in this segment offering dividends or other benefits associated with value names, growth-focused ideas present risks. At the same time, if you have a longer-term horizon, companies tied to intriguing fundamentals may see dramatic resurgences.
Therefore, if you have the patience (and the nerve), these discounted growth stocks to buy should be on your radar.
| PYPL | PayPal | $87.20 |
| INTU | Intuit | $407 |
| SE | Sea Limited | $50 |
| NVDA | Nvidia | $126.85 |
| AVAV | AeroVironment | $78.42 |
| ASML | ASML | $441.59 |
| VSTO | Vista Outdoor | $26.18 |
PayPal (PYPL)
Although PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) represents one of the riskiest growth stocks to buy, it’s also compelling because of its implications for the burgeoning gig economy. First, let’s acknowledge the pain which PYPL suffers from. Since the start of this year, the security has tanked nearly 54%. It’s difficult to ignore such catastrophic losses.
At the same time, since July 14, PYPL gained 25%. For me, that’s the real narrative for the underlying company, which provides digital payment services. In addition, PayPal delivers useful business applications for entrepreneurs, making it a friend to the gig economy. This arena of independent contractors will likely generate $455.2 billion of gross volume, according to Statista.com.
True, several upstart competitors exist that could take the shine off PayPal. Here’s what’s important to remember, though. PayPal has been around for a long time. That carries tremendous social cachet. Further, when dealing with money, brand awareness and trust go a long way. Thus, PYPL is an easy name among growth stocks to buy on the dip.
Intuit (INTU)
On a related note regarding the gig economy, Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU) deserves attention as one of the growth stocks to advantage. Best known for its tax and accounting software, should the pivot to the gig economy accelerate, Intuit will likely enjoy increased demand. Fundamentally, tax preparation for independent contractors presents much more complexities than a standard W2 filing for employees.
In my view, the gig economy should enjoy increased participation thanks to the massive return-to-the-office debate. In short, worker bees want to continue telecommuting while upper management wants them to return.
I’m siding with the latter for two reasons. First, companies sign the checks so they have leverage. Second, employees can’t have it both ways, where they enjoy the security and benefits of employment yet also make their own rules.
Should a recession materialize, corporations will enjoy even greater leverage. That may inspire several holdouts to become fulltime gig workers, which will invariably boost Intuit. Again, gig worker taxes are much more complicated than employee taxes.
Sea Limited (SE)
To be fair, the narrative for Sea Limited (NYSE:SE) presents many concerns and fears. Anytime a public company loses almost 78% of market value on a year-to-date basis, anxieties come to the forefront. It would be strange if they didn’t. Further, such emotional catalysts represent a protective mechanism that human traders would be wise to listen to.
Getting that caveat out of the way, for risk-tolerant investors that have a long-term time horizon, SE appears compelling. In a way, Reuters last year laid out the bullish narrative for Sea Limited, a Singapore-based tech conglomerate that features businesses in digital entertainment, e-commerce and financial technologies (fintech).
According to the news agency, “Southeast Asia’s internet economy is forecast to reach $1 trillion by 2030, as tens of millions more people take up online shopping and embrace food delivery.”
Of course, the various woes of this year greatly and negatively affected sentiment. Nevertheless, once the troubles fade, SE could skyrocket, making it one of the growth stocks to consider.
Nvidia (NVDA)
Among popular growth stocks to buy, semiconductor specialist and tech innovator Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) suffered some of the steepest losses. Since the January opener, NVDA finds itself below parity to the tune of 56%. A victim of the supply chain woes that impacted the semiconductor industry, Nvidia navigated extraordinary circumstances. Still, it incurred a double whammy on a fundamental basis.
First, the cryptocurrency sector melted down this year following a massive outbreak in 2021. Actually, cryptos looked incredibly healthy up until November of last year. With the demand profile of blockchain mining processors fading dramatically, Nvidia could no longer rely on this remarkable revenue channel.
Second, the tech firm also suffered from revenge travel. Essentially, after being locked down or otherwise stymied for approximately two years, consumers eagerly wanted to enjoy “real” experiences. Therefore, video-gaming demand declined and thus, so did Nvidia’s audience (since gaming is the company’s forte).
However, Nvidia also offers myriad relevancies across the innovation sphere, from machine learning to autonomous vehicles to data centers. Thus, for the patient investor, NVDA represents one of the growth stocks to buy on the dip.
AeroVironment (AVAV)
On a wider scale, defense contractor AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) wouldn’t ordinarily classify as one of the growth stocks to buy on the dip. That’s because on a YTD basis, AVAV is not offering any kind of dip, skyrocketing 27%. For comparison’s sake, the benchmark S&P 500 index is down 22% during the same period.
Currently, AeroVironment generates plenty of attention because of its Switchblade drones. In short, these weapons systems enable operators to stand at a safe distance while flying drones, looking for targets. Once identified, the unmanned aerial vehicle slams into the target, destroying or disabling it. The system helped Ukrainian resistance forces battle against the invading Russian military.
With fighting ongoing, defense contractors may cynically see increased relevancies.
ASML (ASML)
Semiconductor specialist ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) presents a circumstance where its market performance doesn’t reflect the long-term fundamentals. For instance, ASML plunged more than 44% on a YTD basis. On the surface, such a dour performance wouldn’t encourage investors to consider it one of the growth stocks to buy. However, the longer-term framework provides plenty of potential for ASML.
According to CNBC, the semiconductor firm is the only company in the world making extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines. Essentially, these machines enable organizations to print specific patterns on silicon, enabling distinction among the various semiconductor firms. True, the global supply chain disruption disproportionately impacted the chip-manufacturing industry. Still, unless you believe that EUV lithography will become anachronistic, ASML offers an intriguing discount.
If you need a little more nudging, Gurufocus.com labels ASML as modestly undervalued. Perhaps not surprisingly because of its lithography monopoly, it features excellent profitability metrics.
Vista Outdoor (VSTO)
One of the most controversial growth stocks to buy, Vista Outdoor (NYSE:VSTO) may intrigue investors. As an owner of various outdoors brands, Vista has several ammunition companies under its belt. In the market, VSTO finds itself down 43% YTD. However, this red ink might not last indefinitely.
As mentioned earlier, the revenge travel phenomenon benefitted some businesses while hurting others. Fundamentally, Vista represents one of the beneficiaries because more people seeking real experiences could potentially leader to greater sales for its outdoors-related products.
The other segment is ammo. Looking purely at government data regarding background checks for firearms purchased at retail locations, demand for the shooting sports surged dramatically in the post-pandemic new normal. Effectively, this dynamic sets up an expanded addressable market for Vista.
Yes, it’s cynical and I understand the hesitation involved with this industry. At the same time, these sales numbers don’t lie, making VSTO one of the growth stocks to consider.
On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.