It's been shown that long-term investing outperforms short-term trading, and historically, some of the stock market's best-performing stocks have been those delivering break-neck revenue growth. There's no telling which stocks will be the next big winners, but disruptive, fast-growing companies could position you best for market-beating returns. If so, then these 20 high-growth companies could be top stocks to stash away for the long haul.
No. 1: Alarm.com
Alarm.com (ALRM +0.65%) is a modern-day security guard for increasingly smarter homes. Its suite of security and safety-oriented products are digitally connected for homeowners by installation pros. Want to control your heating and lights from your smartphone while you're at work? No problem. Want to see who is knocking on your door or see when your teens are coming or going? Alarm.com's got you covered. Sales were $421 million in 2018, up 24% from 2017, yet only 6 million of the over 120 millions homes in North America are protected by Alarm.com, suggesting there's still plenty of room for future growth.
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No. 2: Alteryx
Data scientists use Alteryx (AYX +0.00%) to inform their merchandising, fuel hedging, clinical-trial management, and derivatives modeling. It's tough to find an industry where there isn't a use case for Alteryx's data mining software. Alteryx's customer count has increased at an 82% compounded annual pace since Q1, 2015 and growing use by existing customers and new accounts resulted in sales of $254 million in fiscal 2018, up 55% from fiscal 2017. Even better, Alteryx's already profitable, earning $0.82 per share last fiscal year. Alteryx expects revenue of $345 million in fiscal 2019, up 36%, but it's long-term opportunity could be much bigger. The big data and analytics market is valued at $49 billion worldwide, according to IDC.
No. 3: Anaplan
Decision-makers are increasingly turning to Anaplan's (PLAN +0.00%) budgeting and forecasting tools to see the impact of changing assumptions in real-time. Anaplan's ability to translate ideas into money-saving initiatives helped its revenue grow 43% to $240.6 million in fiscal 2019. Revenue is expected to eclipse $310 million in fiscal 2020. The company's working with 250 of the Fortune 2000 companies but its addressable market is north of $20 billion annually, so the potential for additional revenue growth is significant.
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No. 4. Aurora Cannabis
The second-largest Canadian cannabis company, Aurora Cannabis (ACB +4.21%) could win a large share of the $150 billion global marijuana market as more sales move to regulated retailers from the black market. Canada's national recreational marijuana market opened last year, giving Aurora Cannabis an opportunity to capture the 5 billion Canadian dollars spent illegally there every year. In the fourth quarter, it sold about 7,000 kilograms of marijuana, resulting in sales of CA$54 million, up 362% year over year. As of March, Aurora Cannabis' operating at a 120,000 kilograms per year pace. Importantly, projects are planned that could increase production to 700,000 kilos or more per year, which will enable it serve new markets, such as the United States, if marijuana legalization spreads.
No. 5: bluebird bio
Delivering genetic fixes for genetic disorders using deactivated viruses is a game changing scientific advance. Gene therapy is in its infancy, but bluebird bio (BLUE +0.00%) has one of the most advanced pipelines of these revolutionary treatments. In 2019, it expects European approval of its first gene therapy, Zynteglo, which inserts a functional copy of the B-globin gene in a patient's stem cells, restoring hemoglobin production in beta-thalassemia patients. If approved, it could eliminate the need for regular blood transfusions for thousands of people. A second therapy in its pipeline that's fast-approaching is bb2121, which targets multiple myeloma, a common blood cancer. There's no guarantee bluebird bio's gene therapies will win approval, but if they get an OK, these one-time treatments could generate billions of dollars in sales.
No. 6: Canopy Growth
The global marijuana markets biggest player, Canopy Growth (CGC +5.26%) is a vertically integrated cannabis company that grows its own marijuana and manufactures and sells its own marijuana products. In January 2019, it became the first large marijuana company to announce plans to enter the $50 billion U.S. marijuana market through a hemp-focused venture in New York. Canopy Growth's revenue skyrocketed 283% year over year to CA$83 million thanks to CA$58 million in Canadian recreational, adult-use sales. A $4 billion investment by wine and beer giant Constellation Brands (STZ +0.59%) gives it the more financial firepower than any other publicly traded pot stock, suggesting it has ample financial flexibility to take advantage of growing momentum to legalize marijuana worldwide.
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No. 7: DexCom
Diabetes is a life-threatening condition characterized by an inability to produce insulin (type 1) or a resistance to insulin (type 2), a protein created by the pancreas that helps the body transform glucose sugar in a future source of energy. Globally, over 420 million people have diabetes, including nearly 100 million people in the U.S. and Europe. Left untreated, diabetes can cause cardiovascular disease, blindness, and nerve loss.
Historically, diabetics relied on point-in-time finger sticks to measure blood sugar to determine insulin dosing. However, diabetics spend an average of 70% of their day outside their target glucose range, indicating new approaches, including DexCom's (DXCM +0.67%) continuous glucose monitors (CGM), are necessary. DexCom's CGMs provide real-time glucose readings and high-low glucose alerts that improve insulin decisions. Its sales increased 44% year over year to $1.032 billion in 2018 and while it faces stiff competition from Abbott Labs (ABT +1.28%), DexCom is still guiding for 14% growth this year.
No. 8: Diamondback Energy
Global energy demand is climbing and that should help drive revenue higher at Diamondback Energy (FANG +0.81%), the third largest oil and gas producer in the prolific Permian Basin in Western Texas and Nevada. In 2007, it had about 4,000 acres in the Permian. Today, it has approximately 604,367 gross acres there, including 231,100 acres in the Midland Basin and approximately 232,143 acres in the Delaware Basin. Using horizontal drilling, Diamondback Energy is producing increasingly more oil and gas at attractive yields. It completed its first horizontal wells in 2012 and now, it operates nearly 1,200 horizontal wells. Diamondback's Permian Basin net production was 47,610 MBOE in 2018, comprising 72% oil, 16% natural gas liquids, and 12% natural gas. It drilled 189 gross wells in 2018 and in 2019, it expects to complete at least 290 horizontal wells. Revenue was $2.2 billion in 2018, up from $527 million in 2016, and given estimated proved oil and natural gas reserves of 992,001 MBOE, Diamondback could be one of the best oil stocks for long-term investors to own.
No. 9: Elastic N.V.
Elastic N.V. (ESTC +0.52%) is the Google of corporate search. It allows workers to instantly access a treasure trove of valuable information that could otherwise be difficult to find or make sense of. Sales were $159.9 million in fiscal 2018 and they're expected to reach $265 million in fiscal 2019. In fiscal 2020, the consensus estimate is for sales to increase to $365 million, which is more than double its fiscal 2018 revenue. There's no telling if the company will deliver on those estimates, but its leadership is undoubtedly motivated. Altogether, the company's founders and C-suite officers own nearly 40% of the company.
No. 10: Exact Sciences
Colonoscopies are expensive and the pre-test regimen keeps many from getting this life-saving colon cancer test. Fortunately, now there's an alternative. In 2016, Exact Sciences (EXAS +0.00%) launched Cologuard, a screening kit that allows people to mail a stool sample to a lab for an evaluation. So far, the response from consumers has been terrific. Revenue was $454 million in 2018, up 70% year over year. In 2019, it's modeling for revenue of between $710 million to $730 million. Currently, it only has 4% market share, but it believes it will eventually reach 40% market share. If so, that means Cologuard could generate $4 billion or more in annual revenue. Exact Sciences isn't stopping there, either. It's working with the Mayo Clinic on liquid biopsy tests with the hope of catching cancer in its earliest stages, when it's easiest to defeat.
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No. 11: Guardant Health
We're at the cusp of a revolutionary change in how we treat cancer. Rather than targeting cancer by the location of its origin, we're discovering new ways to leverage genetic insight to find the treatments that are most likely to work. Guardant Health's (GH +0.95%) liquid biopsy tests are at the forefront of technology enabling this shift to personalized medicine. Currently, its blood tests provide insight for patients with tough-to-treat cancer, particularly when there's little tissue to test, but in the future, liquid biopsy could become the standard for all patients. In 2018, Guardant Health's sales were $50 million, up 82%, and according to management, its addressable market in advanced cancer is worth $6 billion.
No. 12: Insulet
Insulet's (PODD +0.79%) Omnipod insulin pump is a hit with insulin-intensive patients who want the flexibility of a tubeless insulin pump. In 2018, its sales were $564 million, up 22% from 2017. In the short-term, sales growth could slow because of the launch of Tandem Diabetes (TNDM +1.80%) automated-insulin system, which pairs Tandem's pump with a DexCom CGM, but the company still expects to deliver sales of between $662 to $687 million in 2019, representing growth of at least 17%. Furthermore, Insulet hopes to launch its own automated insulin system in 2020. Given Insulet's tubeless advantage and the growing size of the diabetes market, Insulet could be the company best-positioned to capitalize on the shift to automated insulin from finger sticks and injections.
No. 13: Intuitive Surgical
Robotic surgery isn't science fiction. It's already being commonly used in various procedures, including urology and gynecology. The market leader by miles, Intuitive Surgical's (ISRG +3.66%) installed over 5,000 of its surgical robots worldwide. As more systems have been installed and advances have opened up the use of its systems in new areas, such as hernia repair, procedure volume has been growing at a double-digit pace, which is driving sales of instruments and consumables used in surgeries. Intuitive Surgical's sales more than tripled to $3.7 billion in 2018 from 2008 and as providers increasingly recognize advantages associated with robotic surgery, including fewer complications and faster recovery times, sales ought to continue higher.
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No. 14: Invitae Corporation
Cancer isn't the only disease that can be better informed by genetic insight. Invitae's (NVTA +0.00%) gene screening tests are being used to provide genetic profiles for parents-to-be, newborns, and people with or at risk of rare disease. Its goal is to drive the cost of genetic screening so low that everybody will be able to understand their risks of genetic disease. In 2018, it completed 303,000 tests and in 2019, it expects to complete over 500,000 tests. If so, its revenue will increase to $220 million, up 48% from 2018.
No. 15: MongoDB
Companies have essentially been using the same rows and columns style databases to house information for decades and increasingly, those legacy databases are falling short as corporate data morphs from solely letters and numbers to unstructured information, like images. Addressing today's database needs requires a 21st century solution that's more flexible and dynamic than predecessors. In steps MondoDB (MDB +2.41%), a company founded by ex-Doubleclick executives to displace the use of traditional structured query language (SQL) databases with an unstructured, NoSQL, solution. MongoDB's the mostwidely used NoSQL solution and its revenue is growing thanks to rising subscription demand for its cloud-based offering, Atlas. In fiscal 2019, MongoDB's total revenue was $254 million, up 64% year-over-year and because Atlas revenue increased over 400%, it now accounts for 34% of companywide sales.
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No. 16: 2U, Inc.
Education on demand is getting better thanks to 2U (TWOU +0.00%), an education technology provider that could be the best way to profit from growing adoption of online education. 2U creates private label online graduate programs and certificate programs that major universities market to students worldwide. Currently, it works with 35 universities, including the University of Southern California, which accounts for 21% of revenue. Universities pay 2U a fixed percentage of tuition and fees and generally, sign contracts of 10 years or longer. In 2018, 2U Inc. revenue increased 44% to $412 million and revenue is expected to grow to $547 million in 2019. If you believe that the future is education anywhere, then 2U Inc. is a smart bet, particularly since America's graduate education market collects nearly $80 billion in tuition payments every year.
No. 17: Twilio
Connecting customers to your services in a digital world means having a robust app that can easily handle messaging, voice, and video communication. If your receiving an offer via text, speaking with a customer service chat-bot, taking an online survey, or awaiting a ride-share then there's a good chance Twilio's (TWLO +6.01%) technology is powering it. The company's the leading solution used for in-app communications with over 64,000 active customers. In 2018, revenue totaled $650 million, up 63% from the full year 2017, and its expected to surpass $1 billion this year. With 5G technology opening doors to even better ways of communicating in the future, it wouldn't surprise if this company's sales continue marching higher.
No. 18: ZenDesk
Customer services is one of the biggest pain points facing any business. Dissatisfied customers mean lost sales and a dinged reputation. Also, opportunities to increase sales by leveraging successful conversations with customers are lost. To keep customers returning and boost potential revenue, Zendesk (ZEN +0.00%) offers digital customer service tools, including customer service prioritizing, live chat, and Q&A solutions. It generates nearly half its sales overseas and in 2018, revenue grew 39% to $599 million. Future sales could come from new solutions and bundling existing solutions. For example, customers can begin with Zendesk support, then add Zendesk Chat, or other services, such as its recently launched customer relationship management tool, Zendesk Sunshine. In 2019, management's targeting sales of at least $795 million.
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No. 19: Zoom Video Communications
Connecting partners, clients, and stakeholders remain key to business success and perhaps, no company is more successfully facilitating conversations than Zoom Video (ZM +1.04%). Its conferencing solutions are increasingly becoming the go-to choice for institutions and growing demand for video communication because of travel costs and an increasingly global marketplace should allow that to continue. Zoom, which had its IPO in April 2019, posted sales of $331 million in fiscal 2019, up 118%, year over year. Importantly, the company's already tilting toward consistent profitability, reporting $7.6 million in net income last year. With a net expansion rate of 118% in fiscal 2019, a founder CEO at the helm, and a growing appetite for simple, reliable video communication, Zoom Video's an enticing long-term stock to buy.
No. 20: Zscaler
Protecting corporate data from unwanted eyes used to be as simple as building a wall around valuable information and limiting access via gates. Today, it's not that easy. People are accessing data from various devices from all over the world and that data isn't housed in only one place. Because Zscaler (ZS +0.20%) addresses challenges associated with securing data in an increasingly complex work environment, its revenue has grown from $54 million in fiscal 2015 to $190 million in fiscal 2018. Last year, revenue increased 51% and in fiscal 2019, revenue is expected to grow another 50% to $289 million. That could only be the beginning, though, because the companies only working with about 200 of Forbes Global 2000 companies.
