As investors try to digest the failure of two banks, related stocks are tumbling. The Nasdaq Bank Index is down more than 20% from its Feb. high due to its exposure to the now-delisted SIVB stock. Meanwhile, startups and growth names are also starting to feel the pressure, as nearly half of all U.S. tech startups have exposure to this bank. The bottom line is that tough times are ahead for the stock market. Even if the financial institutions deal with the ripple effects, a terminal rate above 5% will definitely have some negative implications. However, there are still some top stocks to buy in the chaos.
And as long as you have cash on hand, it is best to take a contrarian approach and start capitalizing on the discounts. You may have to absorb some short-term losses, but by panning through a historical stock market chart, it is easy to realize that tough times are golden opportunities. By buying some of the top stocks to buy, investors can position themselves for massive returns when the market roars back. In fact, some of the top stocks to buy include:
| RUN | Sunrun | $21.26 |
| FVRR | Fiverr | $34.47 |
| CRWD | CrowdStrike | $121.41 |
| VZ | Verizon | $36.54 |
| SWKS | Skyworks Solutions | $111.27 |
| LMT | Lockheed Martin | $477.33 |
| NOC | Northrop Grumman | $457.74 |
Stocks to Buy: Sunrun (RUN)
Sunrun (NASDAQ:RUN) lost over 18% of its value in the past five days. The catalyst at play here is its exposure to Silicon Valley Bank, which investors worry could cause issues for the company. However, Reuters reports, “Sunrun has cash deposits with SVB totaling nearly $80 million, while SVB’s undrawn commitment in the non-recourse senior aggregation warehouse facility is about $40 million.” That’s a lot of money, but Sunrun had $740.5 million in cash at the end of 2022.
On the other hand, SVB closing down does hurt Sunrun’s funding, but the impact here is limited. There are many banks that’ll gladly take SVB’s spot as the risk with Sunrun’s business model is relatively low, and they get to improve their ESG scores as a bonus.
Therefore, the selloff looks overdone. The business has excellent growth prospects and deserves a much higher premium over the coming years. Environmental problems are also among the government’s top priorities, and it’s unlikely that Sunrun won’t receive support if it ever gets in trouble. Regardless, the Fed’s bailout means a very strong rebound due for RUN stock after the SVB catalyst is priced in.
Stocks to Buy: Fiverr (FVRR)
Fiverr (NYSE:FVRR) is a global online marketplace that connects entrepreneurs and freelancers to provide a variety of services, from graphic design to coding and marketing, at prices as low as $5. The company’s business model is well-positioned to capitalize on the expanding freelance market, with more companies adopting the gig economy as a cost-effective alternative to hiring full-time workers.
Fiverr’s user-friendly platform has resulted in remarkable customer retention, with spending per buyer growing by 8% year-over-year. While the company is not yet profitable due to its significant marketing expenditures, it has a loyal customer base and a management team focused on growth while keeping losses tolerable. As the company captures more market share in the burgeoning gig industry, its top line is expected to continue to grow at a healthy clip, making it one of the hottest stocks in the coming years.
However, in its Q4 press release, the company stated,
“For revenue, we expect Q1’23 to be the most challenging quarter in terms of year-over-year growth rate, due to the comparison to Q1’22 when growth was minimally impacted by macro headwinds. We expect year-over-year revenue growth rates to increase over the course of 2023 and we expect to exit 2023 with double-digit revenue growth rate at the midpoint.”
Regardless of the near-term outlook, the company’s remarkable customer retention and continual reinvestment in itself suggest significant potential for long-term growth. With its cash reserves growing annually, FVRR is a multi-bagger investment that could generate substantial profits in the coming years.
Stocks to Buy: CrowdStrike (CRWD)
CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) is a cybersecurity company that is starting to pick up some momentum after reaching low valuations. It beat its Q4 earnings-per-share estimates by 10.4% and grew its top line by 47.9% YoY. Net profit margin also rose by 23.5% but remains in negative territory.
These trends are positively affecting the outlook of the company. Especially considering cybersecurity is expected to be a $376.3 billion market by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 13.4%. And so far, the company is rapidly capturing this addressable market. CrowdStrike’s 3-Year Revenue growth rate is among the strongest in the industry at 43.5%. That’s better than 91.75% of its peers. Its EBITDA growth of 39.3% is also better than 83.2% of the competition.
By the end of this year, the company expects “total revenue to be in the range of $674.9 million to $678.2 million, reflecting a year-over-year growth rate of 38% to 39%.” That sort of growth deserves a much higher premium.
Verizon (VZ)
Verizon (NYSE:VZ) is a business you shouldn’t ignore at its current valuation. The company is set to rebound due to the government’s focus on expanding telecommunications infrastructure, especially 5G. While Verizon’s 5G network is less extensive than its competitors, the company is covering significant ground and outpacing its competitors. Verizon seeks to cover at least 250 million people within the next two years and will likely have the broadest coverage in a few years.
Back to valuations, VZ stock is changing hands at just 7.8 times forward earnings, yielding 7.1%. That’s a massive bargain, even if you consider the expectation of EBITDA shrinking to $47.5 billion this year as total wireless service revenue still grows at a healthy clip. In a few years, I believe this company will benefit from much more than just 5G.
Skyworks Solutions (SWKS)
Skyworks Solutions (NASDAQ:SWKS) is a semiconductor company, one which Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) can’t get enough of. The company supplies Apple with many high-tech parts chips, and most of its sales are related to Apple. Of course, that does mean that any ripples in Apple will cause problems for SWKS, but its current discounted valuation isn’t something investors should ignore.
For one, Apple has among the deepest pockets and very high product demand. The company had much less cost-cutting than its competitors, and inflation has little impact on its customer base. Thus, SWKS shouldn’t be as under-appreciated for its association with Apple while it boasts a net margin better than 81% of its competitors. As Gurufocus.com notes, it is significantly undervalued with a lot more room to run.
Lockheed Martin (LMT)
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) is well-positioned to be the largest beneficiary of surging military budgets worldwide. The company already had a backlog of $150 billion by the end of last quarter, up 11%. That indicates that demand is indeed accelerating, and investors will likely put a more premium price tag on the stock as the geopolitical scene keeps heating up.
There is also a massive share repurchase program, with Lockheed Martin returning $5 billion of cash to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends in Q4. That’s almost half of the $10.9 billion returned in all of 2022. Going forward, I believe even more will be returned as the company still had $6.1 billion left in operating cash last year.
Moreover, as NATO increases its defense budget and countries like Japan, Australia, and Taiwan boost their budgets, Lockheed Martin is set to be among the largest beneficiaries of this trend. Lockheed Martin’s role in the aerospace industry is also worth noting, particularly its significant business in satellite manufacturing. With all that in mind, LMT is among the top stocks with good potential.
Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Much like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) is another defense contractor with a swollen backlog. The company had a backlog of $78.7 billion last year, with orders for “defense systems” surging by 18%. This year, it expects to grow sales to $38.2 billion from $36.6 billion.
Perhaps the moderating growth is why Gurufocus.com believes the stock is “modestly overvalued.” But investors should still consider that NOC has a PE ratio ranked better than 81.98% of its peers. Politicians from both sides of the aisle are also more supportive of increasing defense budgets after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Defense products are an inelastic source of revenue for these companies, and NOC is among the stocks with good potential that will weather harsh economic conditions, despite lower near-term growth.
That said, I expect much higher growth in the long term. The company expects “…a greater than 20% compound annual growth in our multiyear cash flow outlook that supports continued investments in the business and significant returns of capital to shareholders.”
On the date of publication, Omor Ibne Ehsan 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.