If you were a new investor in 2022, it was undoubtedly challenging. After years of positive annual returns, 2022 has been way different. The Nasdaq Composite index has fallen nearly 27% year to date, and it's been down as much as 34% at some points this year.
However, these lower prices can be gifts to new, long-term investors. Some stocks haven't been this cheap in years, providing incredible opportunities to buy top-notch businesses at a discount. Airbnb (ABNB -0.27%), PubMatic (PUBM -2.15%), and MercadoLibre (MELI -0.55%) could be some of those stocks.
The most important aspect for new investors when building a portfolio is to create a bedrock of safe stocks. However, if you've done that and you're looking to add some higher-growth ones, you might want to consider these three businesses.
1. Airbnb
The common saying is that new investors should invest in what they know, and Airbnb could be a great start. If you have booked a stay on Airbnb or hosted your home on the platform, you are familiar with the company. You're not alone. In Q3, nearly 100 million nights and experiences were booked on Airbnb, and 4 million people are hosts on the platform.
Not only is Airbnb one of the top platforms, but it also has some of the best customer satisfaction ratings in this space. Airbnb's primary rival, Vrbo (owned by Expedia Group), has a Net Promoter Score of -83 on a scale of 100 to -100. Comparatively, Airbnb has a score of 29. It's clear that Airbnb customers are much happier with the company's offering than Vrbo, and it's likely because Airbnb continues to innovate and roll out new products to make the consumer experience painless.
The most recent innovation was to eliminate a significant pain point consumers have been angry about: non-transparent pricing. Users can now see the total price when booking a stay on Airbnb instead of getting miscellaneous fees and taxes added near the purchase. And with over $3.3 billion in trailing-12-month free cash flow, these innovations are unlikely to stop.
Airbnb has positioned itself nicely to thrive over the long haul and gain market share in the travel space, and investors can get this company at a relative bargain. Shares trade at 21 times free cash flow -- nearly the lowest valuation since coming public in late 2020.
2. PubMatic
As a new investor, you might want to invest in some emerging trends for the long haul. Digital advertising is one of those spaces. Global digital advertising spending is expected to reach $627 billion by 2024 -- a 43% increase from the spending in 2021.
PubMatic operates in this space, and it is one of the leading platforms helping publishers sell their open digital ad inventory. At the end of 2021, the company had roughly a 3% to 4% market share in this industry. Despite the worsening macro environment, the company has continued to outpace the broader industry's expansion, so PubMatic's share could continue to rise over time.
The company is gaining prominence in this lucrative field, but investors have yet to catch on. The shares are trading at a bargain valuation of just 20 times earnings, far below rivals like Magnite. With today's valuation, investors might not be anticipating the adoption that PubMatic could have in store over the long haul, making it a potentially wonderful investment in a diversified portfolio.
3. MercadoLibre
E-commerce stocks have taken a beating this year because U.S. and European consumers have pulled back their spending on discretionary items like those sold on e-commerce platforms. However, Latin American e-commerce powerhouse MercadoLibre has barely seen a blip. Its revenue shot 61% higher versus the year-ago period in Q3 to $2.7 billion, which is only a slight decline from the company's expansion rates over the past year.
Not only that, but the company's cash generation has remained very strong. Trailing-12-month free cash flow generation for the company shot 350% higher versus the year-ago period to $1.6 billion.
This is because the Latin American e-commerce market is rising much faster than the global e-commerce industry. Retail e-commerce sales expansion in 2022 is anticipated to be over 20% in Latin America, while the world's average is only expected to increase by 12%, according to eMarketer.
Therefore, the Latin American e-commerce industry is staying stable during this treacherous economic environment, while other regions are suffering.
Latin America can be a risky place to invest, but MercadoLibre's leadership in the region provides some stability. The company controls 21% of the Latin American e-commerce market, according to Statista. With this balance of stability and growth potential moving forward, MercadoLibre could make for a wonderful, long-term investment for new investors.
