[cnxvideo id=”625498″ placement=”ros”]More and more, the companies that we cover on Wall Street are starting to agree that while the future is still bright for the U.S. economy, the future may be one of growth that is much lower than the norm. When that is the case, then investing strategies often shift from indexing to a more disciplined stock-picking routine, and that’s when investors need solid growth ideas.
Jefferies highlights the firm’s top growth stocks to buy each week, and this week is no exception. While these companies are better suited for accounts that have a higher risk tolerance, they all make good sense now, and all have outstanding upside potential.
We found four that look extremely good now.
Affiliated Managers Group
This company reported outstanding first-quarter earnings and the rest of the year looks solid as well. Affiliated Managers Group Inc. (NYSE: AMG) is a global asset management company that invests in boutique investment management firms called “affiliates.” The performance of these affiliates drives the company’s own performance, and AMG acts as a fund of funds for these entities.
The company also assists its affiliates in strategic matters, marketing, distribution, product development and operations. AMG holds equity stake in its affiliates along with the independent management, which is responsible for deployment of the funds and generating returns. The affiliates are identified based on their growth potential, with products focusing on global equities, emerging market equities and alternatives. AMG manages three distribution channels through its affiliates.
With just over 10% fixed income exposure, the company is one of the least exposed in terms of assets under management and the most levered to equity. That is fine in a potential rising interest rate environment, but it has proven a touch more volatile in the recent market sell-offs.
The Jefferies price target for the stock is $197. The Thomson/First Call consensus target is higher at $207.38. The stock closed on Monday at $164.89 per share.
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Adeptus Health
This stock has been absolutely mauled and is down a whopping 50% or so since late September. Adeptus Health Inc. (NYSE: ADPT) is a leading patient-centered health care organization expanding access to the highest quality emergency medical care through its network of freestanding emergency rooms and partnerships with premier health care providers.
In Texas, Adeptus Health owns and operates First Choice Emergency Room, the nation’s largest and oldest network of independent freestanding emergency rooms. In Colorado, in partnership with University of Colorado Health, Adeptus Health operates UCHealth Emergency Rooms. In Arizona, with Dignity Health, the company owns and operates Dignity Health Arizona General Hospital and freestanding emergency rooms.
Jefferies notes that the company recently announced a partnership with Texas Health Resources, which the firm feels reduces the company’s risk profile, since 50% of the company’s freestanding ERs are now partnered with nonprofit health systems, driving volumes and shielding them from some rate pressure. Jefferies also sees the potential for 25% unit growth per year possibilities as they achieve more volume into existing facilities. Trading at just eight times 2017 EBITDA, the stock looks cheap as well.
Jefferies has a gigantic $125 price target, while the consensus target is at $93.75. The stock closed most recently at $69.34.
Neurocrine Biosciences
This company is partnering with a top big pharmaceutical company, and the data has been very solid. Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: NBIX) discovers and develops innovative and life-changing pharmaceuticals, in diseases with high unmet medical needs, through its novel research and development platform, focused on neurological and endocrine based diseases and disorders.
The company’s two lead late-stage clinical programs are elagolix, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist for women’s health that is partnered with AbbVie, and valbenazine, a vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor for the treatment of movement disorders. Neurocrine intends to maintain certain commercial rights to its VMAT2 inhibitor for an evolution into a fully integrated pharmaceutical company.
Jefferies recently hosted an investor event with an industry expect to discuss the KINECT 3 data. The expert believes that both valbenazine and a competing company’s drug are superior to current standard of care. Both drugs offer safety advantages, but there is a debate about whether the drugs will have black box warnings, which the current drug does. The analysts feel that Valbenazivne is still on track for an NDA filing this year, and the Jefferies team sees a $1 billion potential for the drug.
The $58 Jefferies price target is lower than the consensus target of $66.75. The stock closed Monday at $48.07 per share.
PayPal
This company was spun-off from eBay last year. PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) operates as a technology platform company that enables digital and mobile payments on behalf of consumers and merchants worldwide. It enables businesses of various sizes to accept payments from merchant websites, mobile devices and applications, as well as at offline retail locations through a range of payment solutions across its payment platform, including PayPal, PayPal Credit, Venmo and Braintree products. That platform allows customers to pay and get paid, withdraw funds to their bank accounts and hold balances in their PayPal accounts in various currencies.
The Jefferies team thinks that solid revenue growth over the next five years is possible and the scarcity value, or lack of competition, could help drive the multiple for the company. Some Wall Street analysts have pointed to the new acquisitions PayPal has made, like Venmo and Paydiant, that are leveragable with the combination of Paydiant. Many also think that the eBay separation likely will help the company’s positioning with large merchants.
The company is about to host its analysts day, and the analysts feel that it will highlight its host of products, all of which are expected to be well received. They also think the company could give some clarity on the credit business, an area about which some on Wall Street have concerns. The Jefferies team still expects mid-teens top line revenue growth.
The Jefferies price target is set at $48, and the consensus target is $44.21. The stock closed Monday at $38.07.
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These four solid growth companies are trading well below recent highs and the Jefferies price targets. With very solid upside potential, and a lack of speculation in these stocks, the risk-reward at current trading levels looks solid.
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