For decades, Jim McKay introduced ABC's Wide World of Sports with a memorable phrase, "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat." McKay's words could apply to many investors in the first half of this year. There have been periods of victory -- and periods of defeat.
Of course, the level of victory and defeat investors experienced depended on which stocks they owned. If you want greater chances of winning going forward, the stocks you pick will make a huge difference. Which stocks should you consider? Here are three top growth stocks to buy in the second half of 2025.
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1. Alibaba Group Holding
Wall Street loves Alibaba Group Holding (BABA +0.54%). Of the 40 analysts surveyed by LSEG in July, 37 rated the stock as a "buy" or a "strong buy." The three outliers recommended holding Alibaba. The consensus 12-month price target reflects an upside potential of roughly 40%. I'm not always on the same page as Wall Street analysts, but I agree with the upbeat views about Alibaba.
For one thing, you can't even spell Alibaba without A and I. "Lbaba" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Alibaba is an artificial intelligence (AI) juggernaut in China. Its Alibaba Cloud unit commands 36% of the Chinese cloud infrastructure market, almost twice the market share of its nearest rival. Revenue from Alibaba Cloud's AI-related products has grown by triple-digit percentages for seven consecutive quarters.
NYSE: BABA
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The company also operates China's leading e-commerce platform. Alibaba's Taobao and Tmall online shopping sites continue to deliver solid revenue growth, and AI is helping improve the user experience on the platforms.
But the main reason I like Alibaba is its valuation. The stock trades at a forward earnings multiple of only 10.3. That's dirt cheap for a tech giant that raked in $137.3 billion in revenue and $17.4 billion in profits in its last fiscal year.
2. Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms (META +0.76%) could be an underappreciated leader in AI. It's not a pure-play AI company like OpenAI. It's not a cloud titan like Amazon (AMZN +0.61%), Microsoft (MSFT +3.64%), and Alphabet's (GOOG +1.10%) (GOOGL +1.31%) Google. However, Meta is making a huge bet on AI that I suspect will pay off handsomely.
That wager is already paying off in some ways. For example, AI is helping Meta improve its recommendation models. The company has seen a 5% higher conversion rate on Reels in the latest quarter. Over the last six months, Meta's recommendation system improvements have led to a 7% increase in user time spent on Facebook and 6% on Instagram. More time on these social media apps translates to higher advertising revenue for Meta.
NASDAQ: META
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AI-powered business messaging presents a tremendous growth opportunity for the company. Businesses in developing nations such as Thailand and Vietnam use Meta's messaging apps heavily to communicate with customers. With AI, this model could be deployed in the U.S. and other major markets.
Perhaps the most intriguing arena for Meta, though, is in AI devices. The company is already a leader in smart glasses thanks to its Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. Its Quest virtual reality headsets remain highly popular with users. I think Meta could be one of the biggest players in a potentially massive AI device market over the next few years.
3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Not every great growth stock that I recommend buying in the second half of 2025 is focused heavily on AI. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX +0.83%) is a drugmaker with terrific growth prospects.
So far in Vertex's history, cystic fibrosis (CF) has been the company's primary focus. That's worked out quite well for the big biotech innovator. Vertex markets the only therapies that treat the underlying cause of CF. Its latest CF drug, Alyftrek, offers the most convenient dosing in its lineup and will almost certainly become a blockbuster quickly.
NASDAQ: VRTX
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However, Vertex has expanded its horizons to other therapeutic areas. Casgevy, the first approved CRISPR gene-editing therapy, targets two rare blood disorders -- sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia. Earlier this year, Journavx became the first new class of pain medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in more than two decades. As a powerful pain drug that isn't an opioid, I expect this new product will become another huge winner for Vertex.
And there are potentially more big winners on the way. Vertex's pipeline features three other drugs in late-stage clinical testing. Inaxaplin targets APOL1-mediated kidney disease. Povetacicept's first targeted indication is chronic kidney disease IgA nephropathy. Zimislicel holds the potential to cure severe type 1 diabetes. I like the chances of success for all three programs.
