It would have been difficult to predict that after losing more than a third of its value between mid-February and late March, the broader market would come roaring back, not only recovering all its losses, but topping new all-time highs as well.
Hidden among those gains have been a few select companies that have not only continued to prosper in the new normal, but also accelerated already impressive results by growing revenue by more than 100% year over year in the most recent quarter.
If you've got $3,000 that you don't need for immediate expenses or to pad your emergency fund, consider putting it to work in these high-growth companies that could be beating the market for years to come.
Image source: Getty Images.
MercadoLibre: Up 123%
One of the undeniable beneficiaries of the stay-at-home orders resulting from the pandemic is e-commerce. As consumers sought to minimize their chances of contracting the virus, many turned to digital retail for their shopping needs. As the undisputed leader in Latin American e-commerce, MercadoLibre (MELI -0.45%) was well-positioned to serve the needs of online shoppers in the region.
The company had a secret weapon as well. Mercado Pago, its digital payment system, is among the most popular in the region, having migrated from its e-commerce platform to other websites, before making the jump to brick-and-mortar stores.
Both e-commerce and digital payments have seen blockbuster adoption during the pandemic, significantly boosting MercadoLibre's results. During the second quarter, revenue grew 123% year over year in local currencies. This was driven by commerce revenue that grew 149%, while fintech revenue grew 86%.
E-commerce is still in its infancy in Latin America, representing about 4.2% of total retail at the close of 2019. For context, online sales accounted for about 12% of U.S. retail last quarter. Additionally, Latin America has twice the population of the U.S., at about 646 million people, giving it a larger potential market opportunity.
Digital payments are also just gaining a foothold in the region, which has largely been a cash-based society. Recent studies have shown that roughly 70% of the population doesn't have a bank account, and only between 20% and 55% use a credit card, though that varies by location.
Given the early innings in both e-commerce and digital payments, and its leadership in the region, MercadoLibre still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
Image source: Livongo Health.
Livongo Health: Up 125%
The cost of healthcare can be daunting, so finding a way to cut costs while also improving patient outcomes and quality of life is the very definition of a win-win. Additionally, the ability to manage chronic conditions without a trip to the doctor's office during the pandemic was an added bonus.
Each of those factors has played into the early success of Livongo Health (LVGO). The company's Applied Health Signals platform lets patients skip the trip to their healthcare professional through the use of smart, connected devices, which collect and aggregate data and other vital statistics, and analyze the information with sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence. The platform then provides customized feedback to help patients better manage their chronic conditions.
During the second quarter, the company's flagship offering -- Livongo for Diabetes -- grew its enrolled base by 113% year over year, helping to drive revenue up by 125%. But that's just the beginning. Livongo has expanded beyond diabetes management to other chronic conditions, including weight management, hypertension, diabetes prevention, and behavioral health conditions like anxiety and depression. The company recently reported that more than 20% of clients are now offering multiple solutions for their patients, up from 18% last quarter.
That could be just the beginning. Livongo generated revenue of $170 million last year, but that pales in comparison to its addressable market, which management estimates at more than $46 billion. This illustrates the vast runway and future growth potential that remains.
It's worth noting that Livongo Health will merge with Teladoc Health (TDOC -2.91%) in a deal that's expected to close by the end of 2020.
Image source: Getty Images.
Zoom Video Communications: Up 355% (No, that's not a typo)
The rapid pivot to remote work that accompanied the pandemic made it critical that employees cut out face-to-face meetings, but both email and telephone communications have their limitations. Video conferencing became the method of choice to replace many in-person meetings, and arguably no company was better positioned to provide this service than Zoom Video Communications (ZM -0.99%).
In spite of a few early missteps, "Zoom" quickly became a verb. Not only did it became the de facto way for employees to conduct meetings, but many family and friend meetups made their way onto the video conferencing platform. The company offers a free tier with time limits for smaller users, which some expected would limit the growth of the paid service, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Zoom reported second-quarter revenue that grew 355% year over year, while the number of enterprise customers generating trailing 12-month revenue of $100,000 or more jumped by 112%. Not only that, the number of customers with more than 10 employees soared 458%. This marked the second consecutive quarter of triple-digit revenue growth.
Data by YCharts
Taking the good with the bad
One of the trade-offs that typically accompanies high-growth investments is an equally high sticker price. MercadoLibre, Livongo Health, and Zoom Video Communications sport forward valuations of 17, 39, and 51, respectively, when a price-to-sales ratio of between 1 and 2 is considered reasonable. The recent run-up in each company's stock price has certainly been a contributing factor to these frothy valuations.
That said, if these high-flyers can continue to put up revenue growth at or near 100% -- which isn't too much of a stretch -- these prices will seem like relative bargains in the coming decade.
