The market is back to strong growth this year as tariffs, inflation, and increasing unemployment don't seem to be derailing it. The S&P 500 is up 13% year to date, and it's a great time for growth investors to buy great stocks that are moving up.
Even if you only have $100 to invest today, you can take part in some excellent growth stories. If you have $100 to invest monthly, you will be able to benefit from the consistent additions and the magic of compounding over time. SoFi Technologies (SOFI 5.43%), Lemonade (LMND 1.13%), and Nu Holdings (NU 0.49%) are three top growth stocks to add to your portfolio, and you can buy at least a share of each for about $100 or less.
1. SoFi: A top digital bank
SoFi likes to call itself the only one-stop shop for digital money management. It sees itself as differentiated from the large pack of neo-banks because it offers a broad array of services, and that model resonates with an upwardly mobile class of younger consumers who want to engage with financial management from their smartphones.
Growth has been impressive. Adjusted net revenue increased 44% year over year in the second quarter, an acceleration. Management attributes the faster increase to an upward spiral that starts with an easy-to-use platform that attracts new clients; a complete assortment of services that generates higher engagement; and more money plowed back into the business to upgrade, add new tools, and become even more attractive.
NASDAQ: SOFI
Key Data Points
It's also a low-cost model that breeds loyalty. There are no physical branches, and customers typically start out with one product, which means a relatively low acquisition cost. But as each customer signs up for more products, they come with a high lifetime value.
SoFi's target market is customers who are just getting started in managing their money, and this cohort has a long financial road ahead of it. It's no wonder the market sees tremendous opportunities here and is rewarding SoFi stock accordingly: It's up more than 225% during the past year.
Image source: Getty Images.
2. Lemonade: Insurance technology
Lemonade is another disruptor in its industry. It offers most types of insurance, but it's all built with artificial intelligence (AI), and customers are flocking to its online platform.
Its top line has grown rapidly for years, but it's taken some time for it to gather enough data to price policies competitively and drive profitability. That's finally happening, and Lemonade stock is finally taking off; it's up more than 200% during the past year.
NYSE: LMND
Key Data Points
For insurance companies, the first step toward profit is reducing the loss ratio, or the average amount of policy premiums paid out as claims. That requires some serious underwriting skills, and it naturally takes time to collect enough customers, assess patterns, and create algorithms to make the business work.
Lemonade's goal is to keep its loss ratio under 75%, and it was 70% for the trailing 12 months in the second quarter, or nine percentage points lower than the year before.
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and net income are following. Management said it expects adjusted EBITDA to become positive next year, with positive net income in 2027. Lemonade has been able to keep its operating expenditures steady despite the business growing at a fast pace, leading to increasing cash flow.
This is just the beginning. Lemonade has an edge over legacy insurance companies, and look for it to take a big leap forward in the coming years.
3. Nu: Disrupting finance in Latin America
Nu is taking banking to a new level in its home country of Brazil, as well as its newer markets of Mexico and Colombia. Its founders were frustrated by the barriers to banking services for the mass market, and Nu's all-digital platform provides access to the financial system for every type of customer.
Its low-fee, user-friendly model appeals to these customers, who were previously locked out of the system, but it's also catching on with affluent consumers who are dissatisfied with the stodgy incumbent banks.
That's leading to consistently outstanding results. Revenue increased 40% year over year in the second quarter (on a currency neutral basis), and it added 4.1 million customers in the quarter and 18 million in the trailing 12 months, a 17% increase. As an all-digital player, it has low costs, and profitability has been soaring; second-quarter net income increased 42% to $637 million.
NYSE: NU
Key Data Points
Even in Brazil, where it already has 60% of the adult population as customers, it's adding new members at a rapid pace. It's also finding new ways to monetize them, cross-selling and upselling new products and services to users who are still getting started in engaging with the financial system.
It has many growth drivers, from adding new customers to monetizing existing ones, as well as entering new markets and adding new features and tools to the app. Nu has an incredible future, and now is a great time to buy.
