Strength in the face of adversity is a universally admired virtue. And it can help identify great stocks as well.
Some stocks hit all-time highs even when the overall market is retreating. They often have what it takes to be big winners over the long term. Here are three top breakout stocks to buy right now.
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1. Celsius Holdings
Celsius Holdings (CELH 4.18%) stock isn't too far away from doubling year to date. Since the beginning of 2020, the energy drink company's share price has skyrocketed close to 1,940%.
The stock's record highs are a direct consequence of Celsius' record financial results. In the second quarter, the company reported all-time high revenue of $65.1 million, up 117% year over year.
Energy drinks represent one of the fastest-growing segments in the beverage industry. Celsius is the fastest-growing energy drink brand in the U.S. and is outpacing the overall category growth by 10 times.
Is the stock still a buy after its tremendous growth? I think so. Celsius currently only has a market share of around 1.7%. The company continues to expand into more retail locations in the U.S. and has even greater opportunities in international markets.
2. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
In general, biotech stocks aren't performing very well so far this year. It's a much different story for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +0.37%), though. Alnylam's shares have soared more than 55% to a record high.
What's especially notable about Alnylam's strong gain is that it came despite some negative developments. For example, Intellia Therapeutics reported positive results in June for a gene-editing therapy that could eventually compete with Alnylam's Onpattro. And in August, Alnylam threw in the towel on developing a COVID-19 antiviral therapy with Vir Biotechnology.
However, the biotech stock took those punches and kept on rolling. It certainly helped that sales are growing briskly for Alnylam's current products targeting rare genetic diseases. Investors also eagerly anticipate potential U.S. approvals of Leqvio in treating hypercholesterolemia or mixed dyslipidemia by Jan. 1, 2022, and vutrisiran in treating hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (hATTR-PN) by April 14, 2022.
The big question mark related to buying Alnylam is its valuation. After the nice run this year, the company's market cap tops $24 billion. But Alnylam has multiple potential catalysts on the way. More importantly, the biotech's RNA interference platform should give it strong growth opportunities for years to come.
3. Alphabet
Alphabet (GOOG 0.20%) (GOOGL 0.41%) might be the most surprising stock on the list. After all, the company is a technology giant with a market cap of more than $1.8 trillion. However, Alphabet is without question a breakout stock. Its shares are up more than 55% this year and are near their record high.
At its core, Alphabet is an advertising company. Google Search and YouTube rank as two of the top advertising platforms in the world. The good news for Alphabet is that the digital advertising market continues to grow.
But Alphabet is also one of the top cloud hosting providers with its Google Cloud unit. The company is a leader in artificial intelligence and self-driving car technology as well. All three are areas that could deliver tremendous growth over the next decade and beyond.
Alphabet checks off two of the most important boxes for investors. It has a strong moat, with billions of users for its products. The company also has strong growth prospects across its businesses. Even with the stock near an all-time high, Alphabet still looks unstoppable.
