Investing in the stock market isn't for the faint of heart these days, but the decisions you make now about your portfolio could impact your financial future for years to come. If you have the money to put into your portfolio at this point in time, there are still great businesses to be found, even if some of them have seen shares decline in recent months against the backdrop of broader market volatility.

Today, we're going to take a look at four top growth stocks that you may want to consider adding to your buy list before we hit the end of 2022. 

Let's dive right in. 

1. Airbnb

Airbnb (ABNB -0.96%) continues to prove itself as the comeback kid. While the travel industry is still facing its fair share of obstacles amid a prolonged travel recovery and the potential of an impending recession, Airbnb keeps delivering strong financial growth and showing that its platform is so much more than a vacation rental website. 

In addition to the reopening of global borders, one of the key catalysts that are continuing to drive Airbnb's growth trajectory is the new day and age of remote work that we live in. With more and more people having the flexibility to live and work in the place of their choosing rather than being confined to the parameters of their daily commute, this has created untold opportunities for a company like Airbnb to fill that void. 

Certainly, individuals booking a vacation rental for a few days still use Airbnb regularly. But so do individuals looking for an apartment that presents an alternative to a traditional lease, as well as travelers staying in locations for a month or more at a time. In fact, 20% of all Airbnb's gross bookings in the recent quarter were long-term stays of 28 days or more. 

The third quarter was another fantastic period of growth for the company, with both its top- and bottom-line increases breaking all previous records. Airbnb's revenue and net income rose by respective amounts of 29% and 46% year over year. Meanwhile, its free cash flow jumped by an incredible 80% on a year-over-year clip.  

Currently, analysts think Airbnb could have potential upside as high as 90% over the next year.

2. Vertex Pharmaceuticals 

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX 1.25%) is known for its top-selling portfolio of cystic fibrosis drugs that together control nearly the entire multibillion-dollar treatment market for the rare genetic disease.

Case in point: in 2020, the global cystic fibrosis treatment market was valued at $8.6 billion. That year, Vertex Pharmaceuticals' four approved cystic fibrosis drugs generated $6.2 billion in total revenue. Bear in mind that the cystic fibrosis treatment market is on track to hit a valuation of nearly $30 billion by the year 2027.  

According to the American Lung Association, 70,000 individuals around the world have cystic fibrosis, while as many as 1 in every 30 Americans carry the genetic disease. As such, the demand for safe and effective therapeutics in this market that not only improve quality of life but may also be life-prolonging, is only growing. Vertex Pharmaceutical's control of this global market led the company to report revenue and net income growth of 18% and 9%, respectively, in the most recent quarter alone.

Its burgeoning pipeline includes candidates that treat everything from rare blood diseases to pain. And the company's $320 million acquisition of a smaller competitor, ViaCyte, earlier this year. It is known for its potentially revolutionary stem cell-based type 1 diabetes drug candidate coupled with its existing diabetes pipeline and could mark a foray into another explosive market in the not-so-distant future. 

Wall Street thinks Vertex's potential upside could be as high as 42% over the next 12 months.  

3. Intuitive Surgical 

Intuitive Surgical's (ISRG -0.30%) core competitive advantage lies in its multi-decade dominance of the global surgical robotics market. The company generates the lion's share of top- and bottom-line growth from its Da Vinci Surgical System, which is used in a wide range of minimally invasive surgeries around the world. 

The benefits of robotic-assisted surgery are clear. In addition to better precision, these systems can slash recovery times and even certain post-surgery risks for patients. As a result, it's no wonder that Intuitive Surgical's 80% share of the global surgical robotics market has enabled it to generate substantial revenue over a period of many years. 

In the most recent quarter, even though global procedure volumes were still rebounding due to variant recovery trajectories stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Intuitive Surgical's installed base of Da Vinci systems and procedures utilizing these systems rose by respective amounts of 13% and 20% from the year-ago period.

The healthcare stock's overall revenue rose 11% year over year, and net income, while down slightly on that comparison, totaled $324 million for the three-month period.  

Analyst estimates peg a high upside of about 40% for Intuitive Surgical in the next year alone.  

4. Pinterest 

Last is a stock that has been somewhat unloved, to say the least, in the world of growth stocks lately. But a closer look at Pinterest (PINS -0.31%) reveals a compelling business that has tremendous potential still left to tap into, which investors can also benefit from.

With so many people staying at home in the earlier days of the pandemic, it's no wonder that Pinterest's monthly active user growth rose sky-high. In recent quarters, while monthly active users have declined as the world returns to normal, revenue and average revenue per user has continued to grow at a steady pace. 

In the most recent quarter, Pinterest's revenue and average revenue per user jumped 8% and 11%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Global monthly active users rose to 445 million, compared to 444 million one year ago. The company's business growth initiatives, and its acquisition of the artificial intelligence e-commerce platform The Yes earlier this year, have all likely contributed to its ongoing net losses, and its bottom line certainly bears watching in the quarters ahead.  

First and foremost, Pinterest is an advertising business. It makes money by running ads for businesses of all sizes across a range of industries in the form of pins and promoted pins, which could be images, videos, or other media content. And while ad spending could be further curtailed if a recession hits, it's indispensable for any business -- brick-and-mortar, e-commerce, or anywhere in between -- to succeed in the modern day and age. This is a long-term tailwind that Pinterest can benefit from, and the unique visual layout of its platform sets it apart for consumers and businesses using the platform for targeted ads.

As for Wall Street, analysts seem to think the stock could have an upside as high as 54% over the coming year.