5 Stocks To Look Beyond FAANG In 2019

FAANG stocks are popular among investors for their ability to generate impressive returns. The term was popularized by CNBC’s Mad Money host Jim Cramer.

Notably, on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, FAANG members Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) have posted a gain of 43.5%, 21% and 41.2%, respectively. The other two, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), have gained 8.9% and 17.9%, respectively, during the same period.

FAANG: A Look at the Positives

Alphabet and Facebook currently dominate the U.S digital ad market.

With all major Google services having billion plus users, Alphabet is raking in robust revenues and will continue to do so backed by stellar advertising revenues and improvement in paid clicks. The company’s focus on innovation, AI, cloud, home-automation space, strategic acquisitions and Android OS will add further impetus. Furthermore, Google’s robust mobile search remains a key catalyst.

Meanwhile, Facebook is benefiting from its huge user base. The company estimates that more than 3 billion people use its “Family” of services, which includes Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, on a monthly basis.

Amazon continues to ride on e-commerce dominance. The company’s continued momentum in cloud computing courtesy Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a major positive. Further, improving Alexa features and its growing prowess in smart and connected home solutions market space through acquisitions like Ring will be key to its surge forward.

Despite weak demand for iPhone, Apple is expected to benefit from expanding Services segment, driven by solid App Store sales, and increasing adoption of Apple Music and Apple Pay. The iPhone maker is ramping up inventory for release of the iPhone 11 in September. However, the question remains if this update will be enough in reversing the dwindling iPhone sales.

Netflix’s content portfolio makes it a dominant force in the video streaming market, which in turn helps it in subscriber base expansion. The company remains confident of adding more subscribers as the trend of binge watching is on the rise. Netflix now has more than 139.26 million paid subscribers globally.

Global Growth Remains an Overhang

The recent drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil production facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais has disrupted more than 5% of global oil supply, resulting in higher oil prices.

The recent strike has exacerbated concerns regarding further attacks on Saudi Arabia amid intensifying Middle East tensions, which has made investors apprehensive. The scenario is likely to result in a further spike in crude prices.

Since, consumer expenditure primarily drives the U.S. economy; any curtailment in spending by domestic consumers will hurt the economy which is already under pressure on account of a global economic slowdown and U.S.-China trade dispute.

Further, per London-based World Economics Ltd, Chinese business conditions, as reported by sales managers, have hit the lowest point in more than six years. Contracting profit margins, low business confidence and sluggish growth in markets and sales are aggravating the situation. Trump’s recent announcement of implementing 10% tariff on China on Sep 1, can be attributed as the primary reason behind the present market volatility.

These factors have been weighing on the treasured FAANG stocks as well, which have been lagging in recent months of trading.

Here we pick a few stocks that have actually braved the conditions and outperformed FAANG on a year-to-date basis. These companies also flaunt favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and VGM Score of A or B. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Our Choices

Cirrus Logic (NASDAQ:CRUS) has a Zacks Rank #1 and a VGM Score of B. In fiscal 2020 and 2021, Cirrus Logic is expected to witness earnings growth of 5.7% and 3.7%, respectively. Shares of the company have gained 65.3% on a year-to-date basis.

Perficient (NASDAQ:PRFT) has a Zacks Rank #1 and a VGM Score of B. In 2019 and 2020, the company is expected to witness earnings growth of 26.4% and 11.6%, respectively. Shares of the company have gained 71.7% on a year-to-date basis.

Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ:CDNS) has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM Score of B. In 2019 and 2020, the company is expected to witness earnings growth of 14.9% and 7.2%, respectively. Shares of the company have gained 55.9% on a year-to-date basis.

PROS Holdings (NYSE:PRO) has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM Score of B. In 2019 and 2020, the company is expected to witness earnings growth of 34.6% and 51.8%, respectively. Shares of the company have gained 98.4% on a year-to-date basis.

Spirent Communications (OTC:SPMYY) has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM Score of A. In 2019 and 2020, the company is expected to witness earnings growth of 11.6% and 7.3%, respectively. Shares of the company have gained 68.4% on a year-to-date basis.

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

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