Growth investing in 2021 has been a completely different picture than what we saw last year, which makes sense given the colossal run that many of those stocks had. If you were overweight growth names at the start of the year and didn’t pick up on the fact that money was rotating into value stocks, the chances are good that your portfolio has received a few bruises in recent months. Oftentimes, investors have a “what have you done for me lately?” mentality when it comes to stocks, which means that there are lots of quality names that have likely been forgotten during the correction in growth.
Trends constantly change in the market and there’s always the chance that some of these disregarded growth stocks might find themselves back in the spotlight sooner rather than later. We are already seeing some beaten-up names make constructive moves, so it might pay off to take notice. That's why we've created the following list of 3 forgotten growth stocks that are making a comeback. Let's take a deeper look below.
1. Zscaler
There was a time last year when any company that had the word “cloud software” associated with its business would catch a bid. While that’s no longer the case, the good news is that it’s easier to determine which of the cloud software winners from last year are still finding buyers in 2021. That appears to be true for Zscaler (NASDAQ:ZS), a security-as-a-service firm providing cloud-delivered solutions that help to protect user devices and data. We know how important cybersecurity is going to be as more companies move their operations into the cloud and have their employees working from home, which is a big reason why Zscaler should be on your radar.
There’s a huge addressable market for this company’s products and services since its platform allows clients to safely access the internet and cloud-based applications from anywhere. That means the company is poised for continued growth and that the sharp pullback from the stock’s all-time highs was likely transitory. In Q2 2021, Zscaler saw its revenue increase to $157 million, up 55% year-over-year, confirming that it is still seeing strong top-line growth as the world starts to return to a sense of normalcy after the pandemic. The stock is up over 11% in April and is one to add back to your watch list going forward.
2. JD.com
Most of the Chinese stocks have seemingly lost their luster in 2021 due to changes in sentiment and the recent selloff in growth, and that includes JD.com (NASDAQ:JD). However, nothing about this company’s business has fundamentally changed for the worse, which is why it’s a prime rebound candidate. JD.com is an e-commerce company and retail infrastructure service provider in China that has built a truly impressive nationwide logistics network. As the largest retailer in the country by revenue, JD.com offers a huge selection of products at competitive prices and can offer quick delivery similar to Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) in the United States.
2020 was a banner year for this company as e-commerce spending picked up during the pandemic and allowed JD.com to improve its market share. With net revenues of $114.3 billion, up 29.3% year-over-year, and annual active customer accounts up by 30.3% in 2020, this is a business that is growing at an astounding pace. Add to that the fact that JD has partnered up with Tencent to gain even more users by leveraging the company’s social-networking products in China and it’s easy to see the upside potential here. If you can stomach the added risk from investing in Chinese companies, JD.com is a fine rebound candidate in the growth space. The stock is up 6% over the last week and is getting closer to reclaiming the 200-day moving average, which would be a logical entry point.
3. MercadoLibre
This stock was one of the biggest winners of 2020 but experienced a dramatic decline that saw the stock price fall over 33% from its all-time high to test the 200-day moving average back in March. With that said, there’s still plenty to love about MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI), an Argentinian-based e-commerce company that serves the majority of Latin America. The company offers a huge online marketplace, paid search advertising, third-party logistics, and fintech services and still has plenty of room to grow as internet penetration increases in South America and Central America.
The company saw its revenue rise by 73% to $3.97 billion in FY 2020 and was a major beneficiary of people staying at home and shopping online during the pandemic. The fact that MercadoLibre is the dominant player in Latin America’s e-commerce market is a huge advantage for investors to consider, and the company’s MercadoPago fintech business could be a massive growth driver with merchants and small businesses looking to improve their payment solutions. The stock has recently reclaimed the 50-day moving average and could continue rallying, especially if the company’s earnings report on May 4th surpasses expectations.