The market has taken growth investors for a bumpy ride over the past year. Certainly, some high-growth stocks have seen prices decline for valid reasons that investors would do well to heed.
However, other such stocks have shaken off these trends and could present undervalued opportunities in the current environment when their full business potential is taken into account.
Here are two such top stocks to consider that could supercharge your portfolio over the next five to 10 years and well beyond.
1. Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Healthcare stocks aren't generally known for being high-growth businesses, but as always, there are exceptions. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX 1.12%) is one of them. Not only does the company have an incredible history of delivering favorable revenue growth and profits, but its stock has been a high performer for investors even in the volatility of the past year. Over the trailing 12 months, the stock has delivered a total return of about 56%, compared to the market's negative return of about 11%.
The reason behind Vertex Pharmaceuticals' continued success in a wide variety of markets comes down to the resilience of its business and the products it sells. The company is the market leader in cystic fibrosis drugs, a space that is rapidly growing as roughly 1,000 people are diagnosed with the genetic disease every year in the U.S. alone.
In 2021, Vertex Pharmaceuticals' revenue grew 22% year over year to $7.6 billion, while net income came in at $2.3 billion. And in the trailing 12 months, the company has increased its revenue by 15% and net income by 40%.
The company also has a pipeline of potential blockbuster candidates covering disease areas ranging from rare blood disorders to diabetes. If its promising drug candidate exa-cel, which it co-developed with CRISPR Therapeutics, is approved in the next year, that could add another significant source of growth to Vertex's arsenal. In the meantime, though, its profitable portfolio of cystic fibrosis medicines coupled with a strong track record of growth are both green flags for investors to take a second look at the healthcare stock.
2. Shopify
Investor sentiment can be fickle. That has certainly been evident in the volatility afflicting Shopify (SHOP 3.42%) over the past year as the market has processed the pandemic recovery and contends with the unique challenges the current macro environment poses for growth-oriented businesses. Some investors have also been dissuaded from investing in Shopify as it has turned unprofitable in recent quarters.
Yet Shopify remains one of the foremost platforms on which anyone -- be it a small-business owner or large brand looking to scale -- can build an impressive online store and reach entirely new segments of customers in the multitrillion-dollar addressable e-commerce market.
Shopify makes launching a business from the ground up, as well as connecting with suppliers and customers all over the world, easier than ever with its virtually endless list of integrations and merchant tools. The company also continues to refine its offerings for merchants. It launched Shopify Payments in four new European markets (Finland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Portugal) in the third quarter of 2022 alone.
The balance sheet weaknesses that have kept some investors at bay recently are also showing signs of improvement. In the most recent quarter, revenue grew 22% year over year to $1.4 billion, while Shopify's net loss shrunk from $1.2 billion in the prior quarter to $158 million.
Shopify's growth didn't start with the pandemic; this most recent quarter follows on the heels of revenue growth of nearly 600% over the past five years. Investors looking beyond the near term might be attracted by Shopify's durable growth trajectory and the stock's current discounted price.
