With shares of Amazon and Alphabet trading well above $2,000 and Tesla stock priced just under $1,000, it's easy to conclude that buying even just a few shares of a great growth stock is going to be a pricey undertaking.
That's not actually the case, though. In fact, there are plenty of great growth stocks trading below $100 a share right now, allowing investors of all sizes to step into a meaningfully sized stake. Here's a rundown of three such names you'll want to consider adding to your portfolio.
Starbucks
With nothing more than a passing glance at the headlines, it would be easy to presume the worst. Not only are workers at 16 Starbucks (SBUX 0.46%) stores now unionized (with more likely on the way), but former CEO Howard Schultz is now in charge again, taking the reins back from Kevin Johnson earlier this month. Couple all this transitional uncertainty with Schultz's decision to suspend the company's buybacks of its own stock, and there's a lot to worry over.
And investors have done just that. Shares are down to the tune of 37% since peaking in July, with most of this weakness reflecting a combination of the store unionization and inflation. In fact, Starbucks stock is even flirting with new 52-week lows this week, approaching March's low of $78.92.
NASDAQ: SBUX
Key Data Points
The doubters, however, have arguably overshot their target. Don't misread the message. Shareholders have every right and plenty of reason to be asking tough questions here. Chief among them is what Schultz is going to do differently from Johnson to stave off more unionized stores.
While not officially charged with the task, Schultz plans over the next few weeks to "connect with partners [a term the company typically uses in reference to employees] in our stores and manufacturing plants around the world to understand your thinking and ideas about how to build this next Starbucks." Read between the lines.
What's largely been forgotten of late, however, is that Starbucks remains the premier brand name in coffee shops. Leveraging that with its reach of more than 34,000 stores, the company is well-positioned to push past any headwinds blowing against it now. It's survived bigger challenges than this, to be sure.
Uber
As recently as two years ago, it wasn't clear whether ride-hailing company Uber Technologies (UBER +2.20%) would ever become truly viable. Indeed, it wasn't inconceivable that the organization would fail to survive the fallout from the pandemic if lockdowns were to linger.
A couple of major tailwinds have fallen into place, though, at just the right time. One of these is, of course, the gradual reopening of the economy. While COVID-19 cases are still being detected all over the world, last year's revenue for the company was up more than 50% on a 27% uptick in total trips purchased by its customers.
Image source: Getty Images.
The other (and perhaps more important) development is the advent of Uber's non-passenger delivery business -- namely, Uber Eats -- which is still underway. This looks to be the ideal complement to its passenger-ferrying service, utilizing drivers and capacity that would otherwise go untapped. Last year's freight revenue exploded to the tune of 245%.
While that's a tough act to follow, look for more solid growth ahead as the company continues to refine its platform. For instance, Uber now allows its app's users to book flights and reserve car rentals, making it a one-stop shop for travelers.
It remains to be seen exactly how much additional business these features will generate, but analysts' calls for top-line growth of 57% this year and nearly 23% next year -- sales growth that should push the company out of the red and into the black -- make the stock's sizable slide since last April an interesting entry opportunity.
Snap
Finally, add Snap (SNAP +1.43%) to your list of sub-$100 growth stocks to buy.
Snap is the parent to social networking app Snapchat, which has given entrenched platforms like Facebook and Twitter a surprising run for their money. As of its latest tally, Snapchat boasts 319 million daily users, sequentially growing its headcount from Q3's total of 306 million at a time when Facebook is losing them.
The explanation is twofold. First, with nearly two billion daily users and almost three billion monthly users, it's tough for Facebook to find people who aren't already using the social media platform. Second, the open-ended nature of Facebook leaves it subject to abuse and socially toxic interactions. Tired of the vitriol, people are losing interest.
Snapchat's platform is notably different, however, in that users' feeds are largely limited to friends' posts and don't necessarily encourage discussions that turn into arguments.
That's a big part of the reason Snap's got so much more growth runway to cover -- which it is covering. The company is expected to see sales growth of more than 37% this year before accelerating its top-line growth to more than 42% next year, doubling its per-share profits during that two-year span.
Clever ideas like offering users an easy way to share YouTube videos and virtual reality efforts that ready the app for the metaverse are just a couple of ways this company is set up for continued growth despite the stock's 60% tumble from October's high. Get it at this price while you can.
