What we're witnessing with regard to the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is both unprecedented and tragic. Through Saturday, April 4, approximately 1.2 million cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed worldwide, with close to 65,000 people having been killed by this respiratory illness, according to Johns Hopkins University.
But the glaring figure among this data is that the United States is, by far, the epicenter of the outbreak. Almost 309,000 cases (a little more than 1 in 4) have originated in the U.S., causing the governors of most states to shut down nonessential businesses and call for residents to stay at home. Societal changes that seemed almost impossible as recently as six weeks ago are now a reality.
But amid this tragic event are a number of positives. For instance, we're witnessing a concerted global effort to find treatment options and a possible antiviral vaccine for COVID-19. We've also witnessed nations around the world shipping medical supplies to one another, demonstrating that we're truly all in this together.
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Another one of those positives can be found on the investment front. Even though the coronavirus sent the stock market to its fastest bear market in history, there's the solace in knowing that every bear market has eventually been erased by a bull-market rally. In other words, long-term investors who choose to put their money to work in promising businesses during times of heightened fear are often handsomely rewarded for their resolve. Thus, if you happen to have disposable cash you could put to work -- i.e., cash that you won't need to pay bills or for your emergency fund -- now is the time to do it.
The looming question, of course, is what stocks should you buy? While established, brand-name businesses are generally the safe way to go, especially in the short run, they're probably not going to outperform the broader market by a significant margin over the long run. If you want game-changing returns, you need to be willing to buy game-changing companies.
Below, you'll find five top stocks to buy now that have what it takes to become 10-baggers (i.e., an increase in market value of at least 1,000%) by 2030.
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Livongo Health
Perhaps the stock I'm most excited about over the next decade is Livongo Health (LVGO), a medical solutions provider that's primarily focused on helping people with diabetes better control their disease and live healthier lives.
Livongo utilizes copious amounts of data to elicit behavioral changes in patients so they take care better care of themselves. Though diabetics face the prospect of comorbidities developing in conjunction with their disease, it's really a lack of care on their own part that's their worst enemy. This data-driven focus to entice behavioral changes is what sets Livongo apart from other solutions for diabetics.
The U.S. diabetes patient pool is also massive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes 34.2 million cases (that's over 1 in 10 Americans), with another 88 million people experiencing the symptoms of prediabetes. With Livongo's patient and client growth soaring, and the company nearing a move to recurring profitability, it has a solid chance to become a 10-bagger over the next decade.
Image source: Square.
Square
Payment and point-of-sale solutions provider Square (SQ -1.97%) is another high-growth business that investors are going to want to consider adding to their portfolios for the long haul.
Square is probably best known for its seller ecosystem, which saw $106.2 billion processed on its networks in 2019, representing an increase of 25% from the previous year. More importantly, gross payment volume (GPV) from large sellers grew to 55% of total GPV, up from 33% in 2018. Although COVID-19 is hitting small businesses hard, it's noteworthy that an increasing percentage of transaction-based revenue is coming from what are most likely time-tested, large businesses.
Square's Cash App is also expected to be a long-term growth driver. The number of monthly active users on Cash App has more than tripled to 24 million since December 2017, with revenue per active customer more than doubling to over $30. The launch of equity investing via the Cash App, and the ongoing push for Cash Card (a prepaid debit card that allows users to spend the balance of what's in their Cash App), should help Square become a 10-bagger by 2030.
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Palo Alto Networks
Next up is cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks (PANW 1.37%). Though it's already a large-cap company, it presents with an abundance of upside and an outlook that suggests a double-digit growth rate is sustainable for a long time to come.
The single-biggest factor working in Palo Alto's favor is that it supplies a basic-need service: cyber-protection. No matter how well or poorly the economy is performing, enterprises are always going to need to protect their networks and data centers from sophisticated hackers. Palo Alto's management team has made no secret that it plans to spend aggressively to innovate and secure more cloud-based cybersecurity market share.
Furthermore, Palo Alto's business model is becoming ever-more-dependent on subscriptions, which is a good thing. Subscriptions provide a source of guaranteed cash flow, and they tend to generate beefier margins than product sales. If Palo Alto can continue to build on its subscription success, it could become a $190 billion company a decade from now.
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OrganiGram Holdings
Although the cannabis industry has been a certifiable mess throughout North America, there's little denying its long-term potential. With most Wall Street firms calling for at least $50 billion in annual pot sales by 2030, Canadian licensed producer (LP) OrganiGram Holdings (OGI 2.19%) shouldn't have an issue grabbing its piece of the pie.
Unlike other LPs that overextended their balance sheets through acquisitions and opened up far too much cultivation space, OrganiGram has entirely focused on its Moncton facility in New Brunswick. Having a single grow farm means better flexibility when it comes to controlling costs. Perhaps this is why OrganiGram is still the only Canadian LP to have generated a no-nonsense quarterly operating profit (i.e., without the aid of one-time benefits or fair-value adjustments).
Additionally, OrganiGram's Moncton facility is utilizing a three-tiered growing system that'll produce yields per square foot that are two to three times better than the industry average. When coupled with the company's focus on high-margin derivatives, a $3 billion market valuation by 2030 doesn't seem so far-fetched.
Image source: Pinterest.
Finally, I truly believe that those investors who missed out on Facebook below $20 a share now have a chance at redemption with Pinterest (PINS 0.43%) valued at less than $15 per share.
Like Facebook, Pinterest's business model is predominantly based on eyeballs and advertising. The more eyeballs it can attract, the more pricing power it'll have with advertisers, and therefore the more revenue it'll generate. However, the real growth potential here isn't within the U.S., but abroad. In 2019, Pinterest saw international revenue leap 187%, with average revenue per user (ARPU) skyrocketing 115% to $0.54. There's plenty of room for overseas ARPU to double many times over, especially with the platform adding 63 million monthly active users in international markets last year.
Pinterest is also just scratching the surface on its role as an e-commerce facilitator. Assuming it finds ways to improve member engagement (e.g., an increased use of video) and purchasing follow-through, cash flow generation should accelerate. With the company already on the cusp of recurring profitability, a 1,000% return by 2030 appears quite possible.
