Here's a simple strategy for making money in the stock market. First, identify trends that should pick up momentum. Second, find the companies that are leaders in those trends. Third, buy and hold the stocks of those companies.
Granted, this approach doesn't always take a linear path to delivering solid returns. Sometimes, stocks go down before they go up. However, following those three simple steps can make you look like an investing genius if you hold on long enough.
I'll make the process even easier by identifying some trends and leaders in those areas. Here are three brilliant growth stocks to buy in September.
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MercadoLibre
Mark my words: E-commerce will become even bigger over the next decade. So will digital payments. MercadoLibre (MELI -1.00%) stands out as a leader in both areas.
Some call MercadoLibre the "Amazon of Latin America" -- and they're not referring to the river. Others have dubbed it the "eBay of Latin America." The truth is that MercadoLibre is both similar to and different from both e-commerce giants.
Like Amazon, MercadoLibre operates a big online shopping platform. The company started out, though, with an online auction business that closely paralleled eBay's approach. Today, MercadoLibre also offers logistics services, credit cards, online payment processing, mobile wallets, and more. It's no longer only a leading e-commerce stock; it's also a top fintech stock.
Latin America became the fastest-growing e-commerce market in the world last year. However, e-commerce penetration levels are still well below those of the U.S. and China. Digital payment transaction volume in Latin America is projected to soar by more than 70% by 2025. MercadoLibre should have plenty of room to grow.
MongoDB
Another key trend is companies shifting their data to the cloud. There's one company at the forefront of facilitating this migration -- MongoDB (MDB -1.76%).
MongoDB's Atlas is a fully managed cloud database platform. Customers are flocking to Atlas, as evidenced by revenue for the platform jumping 83% year over year in MongoDB's second-quarter results.
There's a straightforward reason behind this phenomenal growth for Atlas. MongoDB CEO Dev Ittycheria summed it up in his company's Q2 conference call: "Our customers want to innovate faster and are looking for a scalable general-purpose application data platform that will give their developers the freedom to move quickly. MongoDB is increasingly seen as uniquely positioned to fulfill this need."
The stock has skyrocketed nearly 1,400% over the last five years. Can MongoDB keep the momentum going? I think so. The company should continue to attract new customers. And it should grow as its existing customers expand. Ittycheria said in the Q2 call that he's "even more optimistic today" than he's been in the past. My view is that his optimism is warranted.
Teladoc Health
The COVID-19 pandemic poured fuel on the fire for the adoption of telehealth. Teladoc Health (TDOC 1.29%) ranked as one of the biggest beneficiaries. But don't think for a second that telehealth will fade away once the pandemic is over.
There are simply too many positives for telehealth, especially Teladoc's platform. It's cheaper for payers. It's more convenient for patients. Unsurprisingly, more than 40% of Fortune 500 companies use Teladoc.
While Teladoc is the leader in telehealth, it also has expanded into other virtual care services. The company's acquisition of Livongo last year brought a leading chronic disease management platform into its product lineup.
My Motley Fool colleague Jason Hawthorne recently noted that Wall Street doesn't think you can lose with Teladoc. Nearly every analyst has a 12-month price target that's higher than Teladoc's current share price. I agree with Wall Street that Teladoc's shares could rise significantly in the near term. However, I like the stock's long-term growth prospects even more.
