BUY THESE STOCKS FOR 2019
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TOP STOCKS FOR 2019 - LOUIS NAVELLIERLouis Navellier here. If there's one thing that I've learned in my three decades in this business, it's that it only takes a handful of stocks to make—or break—your portfolio. Just ask the folks who the investors who got in on AAPL when it was trading at $5 per share…or AMAZN when it was trading at $50 per share. Or, for that matter, ask the folks who invested in Enron back in the late nineties and lost everything. Now, it's more important than ever to be picky about what we add to our portfolios. The economic turmoil of the past decade drained investors' portfolios, leaving many to stay in the workforce well into their "Golden Years". Meanwhile, it has left those already in retirement wondering if there will be enough money at the end of the day. It's a tough situation, but there are things we can do to put our hard earned money to the best possible use. Newmont Merger - Spotlight On Gold Stocks With Growth Investor, I've made it my mission to find the next big stock stories in the large-cap arena. I rigorously screen several thousand growth stocks to identify the next big investing opportunities…and to keep our portfolios clear of any duds. My flagship service is all about maximizing returns while minimizing risk. Restaurant Chain Acquires Another Chain - Fat Brands ( NASDAQ FAT ) If you're getting started with Growth Investor, this report is a great place to start. Below, I've included a digest on the Top Stocks you should own in 2019. Many of our Growth Investor stocks are also near-monopolistic enterprises that dominate their markets and their industries. These fundamentally superior equities boast double-digit forecast sales and earnings growth on average. But even among this elite group, ten companies emerge as the best of the best. Biotech Stocks Surge 10 % - Time To Buy So, settle in and make sure you read this report from top to bottom. Here are 10 of the top stocks I recommend you buy now for earnings growth and profits in the year ahead… Top Stock #1: AMZNMy first recommendation is undoubtedly a name that you're familiar with. After all, this company has over 95 million users in the U.S. alone. One out of every two households uses this service. Amazon, Inc. (AMZN) dominates the online sale of consumer products across North America, and much of the world. If you've ever shopped on Amazon.com, you know that you can purchase pretty much anything through the website. And, in most cases, you can get free shipping. So it's no surprise that Amazon Prime members spend an average of $1,500 on the platform each year. Along with online retail, Amazon also manufactures and sells electronic devices, like Kindle e-readers and tablets, smartphones and virtual assistants. The company also offers cloud storage services, which allow its users to store unlimited photos, videos, files and documents remotely. Amazon Web Services' (AWS) biggest customer is the U.S. government, with over 2,000 agencies using AWS. And that's not even mentioning Amazon's recent acquisition of Whole Foods Market, or its popular entertainment segment. In fact, Amazon is claiming its share of the booming online entertainment industry with its Prime Video service. Amazon is competing against Netflix's (NFLX) streaming service, which is gutsy. I understand that AMZN comes with a hefty price tag, so if you'd rather not add the stock at this time, that's fine. However, when it comes to monopolistic, market-dominating companies like Amazon, I am comfortable with paying a premium. Judging from analysts' forecasts, Amazon shows no signs of slowing down. For FY 2019, analysts are forecasting 34.8% annual earnings growth and 20.4% annual sales growth. Then again, Amazon has a history of blowout earnings surprises. In fact, for the past several quarters, Amazon has posted double-, triple- and even quadruple-digit earnings surprises! Right now, retail stocks are outperforming due to strong consumer spending in the U.S. Amazon, as the most innovative and dominant retailer, is at the top of the heap. Amazon has established a devoted customer base through its e-commerce sites, and this brand loyalty is carrying over to its new ventures. This makes Amazon's growth prospects especially exciting. For these reasons, AMZN is one of my top retail plays for 2019. Top Stock #2: BURLBurlington Stores, Inc. (BURL) is a fixture in shopping centers across the country. In fact, while many department stores are downsizing and cost cutting, Burlington Stores is thriving. That's because it offers shoppers high-quality, name brand merchandise at unbeatable prices. Of course, every store claims to do that, but Burlington Stores actually delivers through its off-price model. Their answer was GrubHub, Seamless and Eat 24, all ordering platforms that connect hungry customers in 1,600 cities with 80,000 local restaurants. With a few keystrokes on the keyboard, or a few pushes of the button on a smartphone, users can place their orders and track their delivery's progress. The company also operates two online menu websites—Allmenus.com and MenuPages.com. Together, these websites are helping to make paper takeout menus obsolete. These easy-to-use apps are becoming very popular. Last quarter, active diners surged 72% year-over-year to 15.1 million. Of those, nearly a half a million users were Daily Active Grubs, which meant they placed orders every single day. Given this phenomenal growth rate, it's no surprise that GrubHub is entering dozens of new markets every quarter. The company released third-quarter results on Wednesday, November 28—and it was a stunning quarter. Burlington Stores noted that it saw a 4.4% increase in comparable sales and 13.7% total sales growth. Total third-quarter sales were $1.63 billion, which topped estimates for $1.6 billion. Burlington Stores also posted 70% annual third-quarter earnings growth. Adjusted earnings came in at $83 million, or $1.21 per share, compared with $0.70 per share in the same quarter a year ago. The consensus estimate called for adjusted earnings of $1.06 per share, so BURL beat estimates by 14.2%. Looking forward to fiscal year 2019, the analyst community is forecasting 8.4% annual revenue growth and 14.4% annual earnings growth. Clearly, BURL is expected to be a top retailer in the near term, so it is one of my top consumer plays for 2019. Top Stock #3: ISRGIntuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG) is in a business that sounds like it comes straight from a science-fiction novel: Surgical robotics. However, luckily for patients around the world, this revolutionary technology is not only possible, it is becoming more and more integrated into everyday hospital use. Intuitive Surgical got its big break in 1999 when it introduced the da Vinci surgical system. Complete with a surgeon's console, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system and wrist instruments, this system allows doctors to perform minimally invasive surgery with enhanced dexterity, precision and control. In the end, this technology benefits the patients, who usually experience less pain, a shortened hospital stay, fewer infections and less scarring. Nearly 20 years later, the company has developed several models of this surgical system and even offers a training program that brings surgeons up to speed on this technology. This neat system has steadily caught on in the healthcare industry; last year alone, the company's da Vinci system was used in 875,000 procedures around the world. Any way you slice it, the company is transforming surgical options among surgeons, patients and their families. And this transformational technology has been quite lucrative for Intuitive Surgical…and it'll continue to be for the foreseeable future. For FY 2019, analysts are expecting earnings of $12.64 per share on $4.27 billion in sales. This works out to 14% annual earnings growth and 15.1% annual sales growth. Then again, Intuitive Surgical is known for blowing analysts' estimates out of the water. ISRG is on the cusp of the next technological revolution in healthcare. Look for big things from Intuitive Surgical in 2019. Top Stock #4: LULUMy next top stock's claim to fame is that it practically invented the athleisure fashion movement. And, with its average yoga pant running $100 a pop, Lululemon Athletica Inc. (LULU) has made athleisure into a big business. After all, there's a large population of runners and yoga buffs who like to look good while they sweat. Two decades ago, Chip Wilson opened a small studio in Vancouver, British Columbia. During the day, it sold a small collection of high-end yoga apparel. At night, it transformed into a local yoga studio. It didn't take long for Lululemon to become a hit. Nowadays, Lululemon has more than 400 stores across four continents. And for workout buffs who are too busy to drive to their nearest store, there are multiple Lululemon e-commerce sites and mobile apps. While women still make up about 80% Lululemon's customer base, lately it has ramped up its men's apparel business. It has designed clothing that is tailor made for men's comfort, as well as fabrics with anti-odor technology. The company expects that men's clothing will become a billion-dollar business by 2020. So watch out, Nike and Under Armour. Even as it has grown its global footprint and customer base, Lululemon has kept true to its founding values. It differentiates itself by making some of the highest quality and most comfortable workout clothing that money can buy. Meanwhile, it maintains a strong presence in its local communities, offering free workshops and yoga classes in its stores. While Lululemon is doing good in the community, it is also keeping its shareholders happy. For FY 2019, the Street view is earnings of $4.25 per share on $3.66 billion in sales. This represents 18.1% annual earnings growth and 13.4% annual sales growth. All the while, Lululemon boasts an operating margin of 20.7%. With numbers like these, it's not surprising that Lululemon is aggressively buying back its own stock. Recently, Lululemon announced that it is buying back 3.3 million of its shares from private equity firm Advent. This is part of its ongoing $600 million share repurchase program. Stock buybacks are great because they demonstrate Lululemon's confidence in its own business. Top Stock #5: MAFounded in 1966, MasterCard Inc. (MA) is one of the world's leading credit card companies. Chances are, you have a MasterCard credit or debit card in your wallet. Worldwide, MasterCard cards account for $16 of every $100 charged. Each year, the company's global payments network processes billions of transactions, in more than 150 currencies, in more than 210 countries around the world. In addition to payment products like credit and debit cards, the company also offers businesses a range of credit services and security and fraud management. As you know, customers are more concerned with protecting their financial information than ever before. At the same time, they want the freedom to pay for goods over the internet, with their phones and now, through the blockchain. MasterCard is responding to this demand by developing its own blockchain technology, which will serve as a secure and efficient alternative to traditional payment methods. These efforts are expected to pay off, big time. In the meantime, MasterCard is benefiting from increased consumer spending in the U.S. and abroad. So, analysts have been raising their price targets left and right. And an analyst from Baird made the bold prediction that MasterCard will reach $1 trillion in market cap over the next decade. For fiscal 2019, analysts are expecting MasterCard to post $7.54 EPS on $16.86 billion in revenue. Compared with the previous year, this represents 17% bottom-line growth and 12.8% top-line growth. MasterCard has also topped estimates for the past several quarters in a row, so I'm excited to see how it performs in 2019. The final reason that I'm recommending MA is that its value-add programs should stabilize the stock during periods of market volatility. The stock has a 0.5% annual dividend yield, and the company is currently buying back $4 billion of its shares. Both of these are a bonus for investors, along with MasterCard's strong prospects for 2019. Top Stock #6: FTNTFortinet (FTNT) provides unified security solutions that can be deployed over digital networks to protect users against malware, spam and network intrusions. The company provides its security solutions to data centers, enterprises, carriers and distributed offices around the globe. Fortinet currently boasts a portfolio of over 530 patents worldwide. Since its founding back in November 2000, the company has had a meteoric rise. Over the past 18 years, it has shipped more than four million units of its security solutions. It has built up a base of over 360,000 customers. And since 2002, its revenues have surged from just $2 million to nearly $1.5 billion. Clearly, the company's products are in high demand. And FTNT is looking great going forward. For fiscal year 2019, the consensus estimate calls for earnings of $2.00 per share on $2.05 billion in revenue, or 14.8% annual revenue growth and 14.3% annual earnings growth. The company also has a history of beating analysts' estimates, so it will likely post even stronger results. Top Stock #7: CMECME Group, Inc. (CME) runs the world's leading derivatives marketplace, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. So CME Group dominates the world of options trading. In fact, its tagline is that it is "where the world comes to manage risk." For those of you who aren't as familiar with the CME, or "the Merc," it trades several types of financial instruments: Interest rates, equities, currencies and commodities (like energy, agricultural products and metals). CME Group executes trades through its electronic trading platforms, and it also provides hosting, connectivity and customer support for electronic trading. I must also mention that CME Group is committed to rewarding its shareholders. The stock offers a 1.4% annual dividend yield, and it has a strong track record of dividend increases and special dividends. The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share on December 27. All shareholders of record on December 10 will receive the dividend. Since 2012, the company has returned nearly $10 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends. As a result, CME is one of those rare stocks that rates well in both Dividend Grader and Portfolio Grader, making it an excellent fit for our Buy List. For fiscal year 2019, the analyst community is forecasting 23.2% annual sales growth ($5.06 billion) and 9.5% annual earnings growth ($7.28 per share). Earnings estimates have also been revised $0.19 higher recently, which bodes well for another quarterly earnings surprise. Top Stock #8: LWFrom mashed potatoes to potatoes au gratin to sweet potato pie, one starchy crop graces dinner tables across the country. The average American will eat upwards of 33 pounds of potatoes this year, and you can bet that a few of those pounds will be consumed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. And when it comes to supplying the world with the popular starch, today's recommendation is anything but small potatoes. With over 60 years in the business, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.(LW) is a leading supplier of frozen potato and vegetable products. When it comes to frozen potatoes, Lamb Weston is the top supplier in the United States, and the second-largest in the world. The company has 24 manufacturing plants and a team of over 6,000 employees. Lamb Weston sells its products in more than 100 countries. The company operates four divisions: Global, Foodservice, Retail and Other. In other words, Lamb Weston sells its products to grocery stores, wholesale clubs, restaurants, convenience stores and educational institutions. So, the company has an attractive revenue mix. Lamb Weston caught my eye because it's a strong, predominantly domestic company that's not adversely impacted by a strong U.S. dollar. Also, Lamb Weston is benefitting from strong restaurant sales—about a third of its revenue comes from the foodservice industry. When it comes to French fries and other potato products, Americans can't seem to get enough. Consider this: LW is expected to report earnings of $3.34 per share and sales for $3.82 billion for fiscal year 2020. That represents 4.6% annual sales growth and 11.3% annual earnings growth. Top Stock #9: PGRLately, I've been looking at potential plays in the insurance industry, because there has been a rotation into these stocks. These companies often offer healthy dividends and trade at more modest valuations. If you live in the States, you've probably heard of Flo, the bubbly spokeswoman who sells car insurance through the "name your price" tool. After all, Flo has nearly five million followers on Facebook and 50,000 on Twitter. If you know Flo, you know that she is the face of The Progressive Corp. (PGR), one of the largest providers of auto insurance in the U.S. Founded in 1937, Progressive has always taken an innovative approach to auto insurance. It offered drive-in claims service before anyone else. And it also allowed its customers to pay their premiums in installments before anyone else. Nowadays, customers can buy insurance directly from the company or they can purchase it from independent agents. Either way, Progressive says it can provide quotes in about six minutes. Along with cars, Progressive also provides insurance for motorcycles, boats, RVs, commercial vehicles, Segways and homes. It has been hugely successful with "Flo" and its advertising campaign, building goodwill with its customers and expanding into other lucrative insurance categories. Over the past year or so, the stock has transformed from a dividend play to a high-growth opportunity. For FY 2019, analysts are calling for 13.6% annual sales growth. To put that into perspective, competitor Allstate (ALL) is expected to grow sales by just 4.6%. With its top-notch fundamentals and 1.7% dividend yield, it's an excellent addition to any portfolio for 2019. And now is a great time to buy PGR, with the stock trading at less than 15 times forecasted earnings. Top Stock #10: VRSKAs I mentioned earlier, insurance companies have been flying high due to the rotation into interest rate stocks. My next recommendation isn't an insurance provider, but it works hand-in-hand with them. So, it's benefiting from the same powerful trends. When companies want to minimize risk and maximize value, they go to Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK). The company was originally created by top-tier insurance companies to provide a third-party way of assessing and avoiding risks associated with their individual businesses. The company provides proprietary data and analysis to detect fraud in the insurance, mortgage and healthcare industries in the U.S. Along with insurers, Verisk serves workers' compensation insurance funds and players in the energy and financial services markets. Verisk even works with state fraud bureaus and law-enforcement agencies that are involved in the investigation of insurance fraud. Through its Risk Assessment division, Verisk Analytics helps its customers determine, measure and manage risk. It offers underwriting information, data and statistical services, insurance policy programs, actuarial services and rate-integrity tools. Its Decision Analytics division helps its customers make decisions regarding their assets and determine the risk associated with those decisions. This division provides products that select and price risk, detect and prevent fraud, predict future losses and quantify losses. To put it another way, no other company comes close in providing the breadth and depth of data analytics. As more and more companies prioritize risk management, business has picked up. So, Verisk Analytics has excellent sales and earnings prospects for 2019. Next year, analysts expect that the company will report earnings of $4.48 per share on $2.56 billion in revenue. This represents 8% annual earnings growth and 6.9% annual sales growth. Then again, analysts have been aggressively revising their sales and earnings estimates higher in recent weeks. As far as I'm concerned, the sky is the limit for this risk management expert in 2019. 25 Stocks To Sell NowBut buying is only half the battle. I've been crunching the numbers and I was shocked to find some of the biggest names on Wall Street—from tech stocks to commodities companies to financials—are on the verge of imploding. In fact, I've isolated no fewer than 25 big names that were flagged by my stock screening system. And because you were among the first to sign up for this special report, you are the first to know about these companies. If you own any of these companies now is the time to unload them before they get really hammered. Especially with earnings announcement season right around the corner, holding even one of these companies could sabotage your profits in 2019. So without further ado, here is my complete list of 25 blue chips to unload right away.
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