After a crushing 2022 market left investors banged up, the growth-centric Nasdaq Composite is having a better 2023 and is already up 27% since the beginning of the year. While there is some disagreement as to whether an official new bull market is now underway, the growth trend looks promising and now is a good time to consider adding quality growth stocks to your nest egg.
Bear markets come and go, but owning shares of growing companies is a simple and proven way to build lasting wealth in the stock market. Two growth stocks that have the attention of Wall Street following solid financial results in the last quarter are Apple (AAPL +2.08%) and Global-E Online (GLBE 8.67%). Here's why these stocks should be excellent investments for the next decade.
NASDAQ: AAPL
Key Data Points
1. Apple
Share prices of Apple surged to a new all-time high recently and are trading up about 40% year to date. The gains follow strong iPhone sales, which generate about half of its annual revenue. Apple's biggest seller set a new sales record for the March quarter following the launch of iPhone 14 in the fall.
While Apple's overall revenue was down 3% year over year, mostly related to lower Mac and iPad sales, the company continues to invest in the long term. Apple's growing portfolio of devices makes it a strong business, as the entire base of active devices continues to hit new records, crossing 2 billion in the last year.
Apple just unveiled the Vision Pro virtual reality headset. It won't officially release until next year, and analysts have low expectations for sales in its first year. It's expensive and may be lacking a killer app to win mass consumer appeal at launch, but it's a long-term bet that can spark more opportunities to grow the installed base of devices, which tends to drive more sales of apps and subscriptions.
Another reason to like Apple is the tremendous amount of cash flow the business produces from revenue. The company generated a whopping $97 billion in free cash flow over the last four quarters. It can afford to spend billions developing new products and services while rewarding shareholders with growing dividends and share buybacks.
Apple has the brand and cash-generating ability to be around for decades. iPhone continues to remain strong because it has turned into an essential everyday device that people keep with them at all times. That's a great business to tuck away in your retirement nest egg.
NASDAQ: GLBE
Key Data Points
2. Global-E Online
If you're looking for a stock with a little extra juice, you might want to check out Global-E Online. Share prices of the Israel-based company have climbed 81% year to date, but it's not too late to buy. It's a rapidly growing business that helps brands sell products internationally through e-commerce sales channels. The company's service integrates natively with Shopify, which raises its long-term growth potential.
Global-E's revenue has risen exponentially over the last few years. In the most recent quarter, revenue grew 54% year over year, with gross merchandise value across its platform reaching $704 million. It's still a relatively small player in a massive e-commerce market, which is why management's comments about the momentum they are seeing are encouraging.
During the first-quarter earnings call, CEO Amir Schlachet reported "great interest" coming from brands all over the world. This comes on top of the growing demand from existing brands that are also expanding their relationship with Global-E.
Walt Disney is using Global-E to support its online business in the U.K. Global-E is also expanding its relationship with luxury goods leader LVMH Group. It's clear that as more brands turn to direct-to-consumer sales channels to grow their business worldwide, Global-E is emerging as the go-to platform to handle complicated issues like taxes, customs processing, international logistics, and product returns.
It is also still expanding in new markets, such as the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, where transaction volumes grew almost four-fold year over year in the first quarter.
One drawback is that the company is not profitable yet. The company has been unprofitable since going public a few years ago. But management sees opportunities to increase cost efficiency with artificial intelligence, where sophisticated new tools can help improve productivity. It's showing progress, as adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) grew to $14.5 million in the quarter, up from $3.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The stock has nearly doubled over the last year. But e-commerce remains a massive tailwind, and brands are increasingly looking for solutions to simplify the process of selling across geographic boundaries. Global-E should continue to report strong growth over the next several years, setting up a great run for shareholders in the next bull market.
