Investors starting with a $5,000 budget have plenty of opportunity to profit from growth. And now could turn into a great time to buy as stocks recover from last year's bear market.

Also, despite some stocks more than doubling this year, others have yet to capitalize in this increasingly bullish market. And thanks to rapid growth that has largely gone unnoticed, investors might have an opportunity to double their money in Sea Limited (SE 0.05%) and StoneCo (STNE 5.01%). 

1. Sea Limited

One of the stocks investors might have overlooked in the current market environment is Sea Limited. The Southeast Asian conglomerate prospered during the pandemic as people turned to its gaming, shopping, and fintech platforms.

Nonetheless, the front-loaded growth in e-commerce and gaming caught up with Sea in 2022, sending the stock down by almost 90% at one point.

It has risen about 50% from that multiyear low back in November. But so far, investors might have chosen to judge Sea on the lackluster performance of its Garena gaming segment. Its quarterly revenue fell 53% from year-ago levels.

But revenue for its Shopee e-commerce segment rose by 36%, while digital financial services surged higher by 75%. This led to an overall revenue increase of 5% during the period to $3 billion.

Also, that disparity highlights the opportunity: If Garena can reverse its declines, overall revenue could surge higher rapidly.

Furthermore, unlike the 2021 bull market, Sea Limited is now profitable, posting net income of $87 million for the first quarter, a dramatic turnabout from the $580 million loss in the year-ago quarter. Massive expense cuts, particularly the 60% reduction in sales and marketing spending, made the profit possible. Now, with much less need for outside funding, investors have more reasons to believe in Sea Limited stock.

Moreover, the massive drop in the stock price and rising revenue have taken the price-to-sales (P/S) ratio to 3, near record lows. This is well under its pandemic levels, when Sea Limited routinely sold for more than 20 times sales. Also, the forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 21 could attract investors looking for growth at a low price. If the company can reinvigorate its gaming segment, such levels might be possible again.

2. StoneCo

Although it drew interest from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway before its initial public offering, most U.S. investors are unfamiliar with StoneCo. It focuses on serving the fintech and enterprise software needs of Brazilian businesses, and some analysts compare it to Block's Square ecosystem in the developed world.

Fintech also works differently in Brazil, which remains largely a cash-based society where millions of consumers lack access to bank accounts and credit cards. StoneCo's products can help connect these consumers to the fintech world.

And after seeing its stock devastated by lockdowns, high interest rates, and inflation in the previous two years, StoneCo has begun to prosper again as those conditions abated.

In the first quarter, its revenue of 2.7 billion reais ($565 million) increased 31% versus the same quarter in 2022. StoneCo also limited its cost and expense growth in that period, resulting in a net income of 226 million reais ($47 million) for the period, up from a loss of 313 million reais one year ago.

Indeed, the improvements probably helped the fintech stock rise 30% this year, though it is still more than 85% below its all-time high. The stock's P/S ratio is still under 2, and the forward P/E of about 17 seems to confirm that investors can buy this stock at a reasonable price.

With StoneCo playing an integral role in Brazilian fintech, it is likely to recover large portions of its lost value as growth returns.