There's no denying it. Amazon (AMZN -0.37%) has been one of the market's most rewarding stocks for nearly the past three decades, rallying more than 270,000% since its 1997 initial public offering. This thrilling performance is a big reason so many investors are betting on the company now -- they're hoping for more of the same magic. And maybe they'll get it.
As the old cliché reminds investors, though, nothing lasts forever. Yesterday's winners aren't necessarily tomorrow's.
With that as the backdrop, here's a closer look at three unstoppable names other than Amazon that you might want to consider adding to your portfolio.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Shopify
It's not exactly a coincidence that one of the stocks worth considering besides Amazon is the un-Amazon, or anti-Amazon. That's Shopify (SHOP -1.18%).
Simply put, Shopify helps brands establish and manage their own e-commerce presence.
When the worldwide web was still relatively young and online shopping was still new, companies were content to use Amazon's high-traffic website as a sales platform. Things changed, though. As time marched on and its business matured, Amazon.com became crowded and competitive (including with Amazon itself). Sellers eventually figured out they'd be better served by their own online store. That's what Shopify facilitates.
And it's doing more and more of it. Although the company doesn't disclose its customer count any longer, somewhere on the order of 5 million stores sold a confirmed $292.3 billion worth of goods and services last year, translating to $8.9 billion worth of revenue and $1.1 billion in net income for Shopify itself. Those figures are up 24%, 26%, and a swing from a loss of $1.4 billion (respectively) year over year, extending a long-standing growth streak. Analysts expect a similar growth rate for at least the next several years, too.
There's actually an even longer growth runway ahead of Shopify, however.
See, for as big as the e-commerce industry has become, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that only about 16% of domestic retail spending is done online. The rest is still done in-store. While there's some consumer spending that will only ever be made in person, that's a lot of potential business to win. The shift away from third-party platforms to home-grown e-commerce stores only bolsters Shopify's potential upside.
2. Rocket Lab
The world's been sending satellites into orbit since the late 1950s, and even putting people on the moon as of the 1960s. Space flight has become so commonplace, in fact, that many people no longer think much of it.
The next era of rocketry is likely to rekindle this lost excitement, though, not so much because it will look different, but because it will happen so much more often and will serve so much more purpose. It will also be more cost-effective, largely because the development of the newer rocketry technology has been privatized.
Rocket Lab USA (RKLB 0.58%) is one of these for-profit rocket companies.
As of the latest count, Rocket Lab made 64 successful launches of its reusable Electron rocket, deploying a total of 225 fairly small satellites. This proven solution is going to remain in demand indefinitely, as small orbital satellites become more and more important to telecommunications service providers. Indeed, there are more than 40 satellites in Rocket Lab's current launch backlog.
But the company isn't stopping there. It's thinking bigger. Literally. Its Neutron rocket is a medium-lift launch vehicle capable of putting up to 1,500 kilograms worth of payload en route to Mars or Venus, making it at least a partial competitor to SpaceX's Falcon. Using Rocket Lab's rocket to get equipment and personnel headed to the moon, of course, will be easy by comparison.
Rocket Lab USA isn't profitable yet, and probably won't be at any point in the immediate future.
Be patient, though. Goldman Sachs expects the global satellite market to grow sevenfold between now and 2035, jibing with Global Market Insights' forecast for average annualized growth of 14.6% through 2034 for worldwide commercial space launch business.
3. Carvana
Finally, add used car dealer chain Carvana (CVNA 2.59%) to your list of unstoppable stocks that have become better bets than Amazon.
You know the company. Although it's not the first or only chain of used car dealerships, it certainly seems like the biggest and best known. And by some measures it is. For the record, however, Carvana itself estimates it only controls about 1% of the United States' highly fragmented used car business.
That's not an indictment of its marketability, though. That tiny number mostly underscores the potential growth awaiting an enterprising outfit with the wherewithal to consolidate some of this industry with clever marketing and the smart use of technology.
That's Carvana, of course -- not that the company needs any serious help in the growth department.
Yes, higher import tariffs on new cars and automobile parts ultimately works in favor of the used car market. Carvana doesn't exactly need the newly raised tariffs to remain in place to thrive, however. Raw inflation was doing plenty to help this company prior to President Donald Trump taking office. The company's 2024 top line of $13.7 billion was up 27% from 2023's lull, bouncing back from the swoon following its post-pandemic sales surge.
Image source: Carvana Q4 2024 investor presentation.
Analysts are calling for similar growth at least through 2027. And, with Standard & Poor's Global Mobility reporting the age of the average car on U.S. roads now at 12.8 years, the outlook makes sense -- a swell of car owners are soon going to be forced into making these purchases, before repairs and maintenance of their current cars become costlier than they're worth.
It's arguably the riskiest of the three stocks in question here just because its big run-up from March's low has pushed it beyond analysts' consensus target of just over $300. It wouldn't be crazy to wait for at least a small pullback.
Just don't get stingy. The bigger-picture backstory here is a firmly bullish one.
