Investing in stocks in the current market isn't for the faint of heart. The volatility that investors have been witnessing in recent months has shaken even the most stalwart of portfolios, and more bumps in the road may be ahead.
However, if you have money to invest in stocks -- cash that you won't soon need for bills or other expenses -- it's always a great time to buy shares of wonderful businesses with durable long-term growth potential. If you have $5,000 to invest, here are two such stocks to consider adding to your portfolio ASAP.
1. Teladoc
Teladoc Health (TDOC -3.06%) came to the forefront of many investors' radars early in the pandemic when usage of telehealth services surged to an all-time high. However, the healthcare stock was a well-established presence in this space and marking strong business growth before the pandemic happened.
For example, in 2018 and 2019, Teladoc's revenue increased by 79% and 32%, respectively. Looking at these pre-pandemic levels of growth, Teladoc's revenue growth of 86% in 2021 followed by 20% growth in the first nine months of 2022, while a deceleration, might be seen as a normalization to a more stable growth trajectory.
While the company is still operating at a net loss, this shrank to just $74 million in the most recent quarter after the prior two quarters saw the company take on nearly $10 billion in impairment charges related to its 2020 Livongo acquisition.
Meanwhile, Teladoc's platform visits rose 14% year over year in the third quarter, while total paid memberships jumped 10% from the year-ago period. The company also produced free cash flow to the tune of $20 million during the three-month period, with nearly $1 billion in cash and investments on its balance sheet at the close of the quarter.
With its net losses going down as the demand for quality telehealth services surges, Teladoc's future growth story is anything but a foregone conclusion. The company remains a prominent leader in an industry set to witness phenomenal growth in the years ahead as cutting-edge technology adoption widens in the broader healthcare industry. This strong position makes Teladoc ideally situated to capitalize on the durable trends driving the telehealth industry forward while expanding upon its established market footprint.
If you invested $2,500 in Teladoc at its current share price, you'd walk away with about 93 shares for your portfolio.
2. DexCom
DexCom (DXCM -2.16%) is one of those stocks you can buy, hold, and add to again and again in any market environment. The company is a leading developer and manufacturer of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, relied on by type 1 and type 2 diabetics around the world to monitor and manage blood sugar levels. The demand for the products DexCom makes isn't just consistent, but it's also growing.
It's estimated that roughly 1.4 million people are diagnosed with diabetes every year in the U.S. alone. Globally, there are an estimated 537 million people living with diabetes, and that leaves out a large number of the population that may already be living with the disease but have not yet been formally diagnosed. The massive CGM industry has a global addressable market of $5 billion as of 2022, set to double to $10 billion by 2030. DexCom's ability to land grab in this space, where it already dominates with a market share of close to half, is exponential.
DexCom just received the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its G7 CGM, the latest generation of its flagship product. It's 60% smaller than the G6 and has the fastest warm-up time of any CGM sold commercially. The company is expected to officially launch the G7 in the U.S. in the early part of 2023, while product launches are already underway across the U.K., Europe, and Asia.
DexCom's track record of revenue growth and profitability has attracted significant investor attention over the years. The stock has delivered a total return of 750% in the trailing-five-year period alone. Meanwhile, analysts estimate that DexCom can deliver average annual revenue growth at a clip of 33% in the five years ahead, and put 12-month price targets for the stock as high as 30% from its current share position.
For investors searching for a durable healthcare business to buy and hold for the long term, DexCom fits the bill. At its current share price, a $2,500 investment in DexCom would add approximately 61 shares to your portfolio.
