Growth stocks have helped lead the market higher for much of the past decade, and right now, there's no reason to think this trend won't continue. The market loves to reward the stocks of companies with strong revenue and earnings-growth opportunities ahead.
Here are three great growth stocks to buy now and hold for the long term.
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1. Alphabet
NASDAQ: GOOGL
Key Data Points
Alphabet (GOOGL 1.67%) (GOOG 1.60%) has long been a digital-advertising juggernaut through its Google search engine and YouTube streaming platform. That remains the case today, but artificial intelligence (AI) is the company's biggest growth opportunity ahead.
Alphabet has become an AI leader by controlling the whole AI stack by having its own custom AI chips and developing its own world-class large language model (LLM) in Gemini. This gives it a cost advantage and lets it enjoy more AI revenue streams.
The company has seen robust growth at its cloud computing unit Google Cloud, which saw its revenue and operating income soar 34% and 85%, respectively. AI is also helping drive search queries and revenue growth, as Alphabet has embedded AI throughout its products with such features as AI Mode and AI Overviews, as well as new ways to search, like Lens and Circle to Search.
Given its AI and digital ad leadership, as well as emerging bets in the fields of robotaxis (Waymo) and quantum computing, Alphabet is a top growth stock to own.
2. Toast
NYSE: TOST
Key Data Points
The restaurant industry can be tough, but Toast (TOST 2.06%) has become an important partner in helping small- and mid-sized restaurants succeed. The company's platform can help customers run their entire operations, including not just payment processing, but everything from marketing and menu design to staffing and payroll. The more modules customers adopt, the more money Toast makes and the stickier its platform becomes.
Meanwhile, the company benefits from its customers' success through its payment processing, where it gets around 50 basis points. This is notably a much lower take rate than what's charged by companies like Block, formerly Square, and Clover.
Toast has been seeing strong growth, with its annual recurring revenue (ARR) -- which consists of its subscription revenue and payment processing gross profits annualized for the full year -- climbing 30% last quarter. Meanwhile, it added 7,500 new net locations in Q3, up 23%.
The company is also starting to gain traction outside its core U.S. small- and mid-market restaurant customers, winning deals with larger chains, food and beverage retailers, and beginning to expand into international markets. Toast is a fast-growing compounder with a long runway of growth, making it a solid stock to buy and hold for the long term.
3. Dutch Bros
NYSE: BROS
Key Data Points
Among restaurant operators, Dutch Bros (BROS 4.40%) is one of the best growth stories in the space. The coffee-shop operator has been seeing strong same-store sales growth, highlighted by a 5.7% increase last quarter, with 4.7% growth in transactions. Company-owned locations have been performing even better, with comparable-store sales up 7.4%.
Dutch Bros' strong same-store sales growth is being driven by the introduction of mobile order-ahead ordering, menu innovation, and increased marketing to expand brand awareness. Meanwhile, the company has a big opportunity with the planned introduction of hot food items in about 75% of its stores. The coffee-shop operators saw a 4% lift in same-store sales from select locations that tested the food offerings, and the impact could be even greater once it's fully rolled out and it markets these items more.
At the same time, the company has a long runway of expansion. With less than 1,100 locations at the end of Q3, Dutch Bros' goal is to reach 2,029 by 2029. It currently plans to open 175 locations in 2026, which would be an approximately 15% increase. Overall, the company thinks it can support around 7,000 locations in the U.S. over the long term.
Thanks to its same-store sales growth and expansion opportunities, Dutch Bros is a growth stock to own for the long haul.
