If you are a new investor who has heard about the market's turbulence this year, you might be hesitating to invest at all. Most growth stocks got a beating this year. But a tumultuous market is a high-opportunity place to buy excellent stocks at a discounted price and hold them for the long haul.
It would be wise for new investors to diversify their portfolios with some safe stocks along with some growth stocks. Here, "safe stocks" refers to stable companies that have been in the business for a long time and survived all the market's highs and lows. I have the two perfect stocks for new investors.
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1. AbbVie
Healthcare and biotech stocks are risky, but they are also defensive. People will continue to fall ill regardless of the state of the economy, and the demand for healthcare products will never cease. This is probably one of the reasons why it is a good idea to invest in a healthcare stock.
Biopharma company AbbVie (ABBV -0.06%) is a dividend stock -- and not just any dividend stock. It has earned the title of Dividend King by increasing its dividends for 50 years in a row. Its payouts have increased by more than 250% since its inception and separation from Abbott Laboratories in 2013. Recently, it announced a 5% dividend increase that will be payable in February 2023.
This year, AbbVie has received a lot of attention. In comparison to the broader market's decline, its shares have risen 20% so far in 2022. Though investors are worried about Humira's patent exclusivity in the U.S., the company has a variety of other successful drugs. Humira is used to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults. It generated $21 billion in annual sales last year, accounting for 37% of AbbVie's total revenue.
Skyrizi (for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults) and Rinvoq (for the treatment of moderate to severely active rheumatoid arthritis in adults) are currently two of the company's most promising drugs.
During the company's third-quarter earnings call, CEO Rick Gonzalez said he believes that combined, Skyrizi and Rinvoq will surpass Humira's peak revenues.
Skyrizi and Rinvoq generated $2.09 billion in sales in Q3, while Humira generated $5.5 billion.
AbbVie has a strong pipeline of successful drugs and plans to develop more. In Q3, the company invested $1.6 billion (11% of revenue) in research and development (R&D). This shows the company's efforts to work on returns to shareholders. Being both an income and a growth stock, it has the potential to pay investors lucratively in the long run.
2. Cresco Labs
Investing in marijuana stocks may seem intimidating to new investors, given that the drug is still illegal under U.S. federal law. However, cannabis legalization in the U.S. is likely inevitable and may occur within the next decade or so. Even in this limited legal market, many domestic marijuana companies are doing exceptionally well. Cresco Labs (CRLBF -3.60%), based in Illinois, is a prime example of this.
With only 54 stores nationwide, it generated $822 million in revenue in fiscal 2021, bringing it closer to its peer Trulieve Cannabis, which generated $938 million in the same period. Trulieve currently operates more than 170 locations across the U.S.
The company continues to optimize long-term profitability by closing underperforming facilities, which affected its most recent quarterly results to some extent. Revenue fell 2% year over year to $210 million, while adjusted EBITDA dropped to $41 million from $56 million in the prior year's quarter.
Cresco's growth strategies, on the other hand, have worked well and will continue to do so. It targets limited license markets to build a loyal customer base. These state market regulators issue licenses to select cannabis companies with caution. Cresco recently initiated an acquisition of another emerging cannabis company, Columbia Care, to strengthen its position in the American cannabis market. This transaction is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year, adding 130 dispensaries to Cresco's portfolio. It also appears financially secure, with $130 million in cash at the end of Q3 to fuel its future expansion plans.
The marijuana industry is rapidly expanding and is expected to be worth $149 billion by 2031. It would be wise to buy Cresco stock now and hold it for the long term.
