Even in a bear market, investors are always looking for stocks to buy that will generate outsized returns.
The long-term performance of the S&P 500 shows that the index rises in most years However, bear markets do come and go, and when they do, they wreak havoc on investors. Eventually though, this bear market shall pass and investors will reap the reward of buying stocks on massive pullbacks.
Of course, one problem is that we don’t know when the market will bottom or at what price that it will do so. What we do know is that 2022 has been one of the worst years for stocks, bonds and other assets.
Still, the world will continue to spin, technologies will continue to advance and a bull market will eventually return. As a result, investors should be looking for stocks to buy, even if they’re only buying $100 of shares. So here are three stocks that can turn $100 into $300 in the next three years.
| Tickers | Company | Current Price |
| AMD | Advanced Micro Devices | $59 |
| TTD | The Trade Desk | $53.65 |
| SNAP | Snap | $9.55 |
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) is more than two-thirds below its peak. The stock reached a high of $164.46 in November 2021 and a low of $54.57 in October 2022.
For AMD to triple off of its lows, it wouldn’t even need to make new highs. It simply could rebound back to its prior all-time high. From its current levels, a small rally beyond the old high would turn a $100 investment into $300.
AMD is — surprisingly — outperforming Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and has been more insulated from some of the pressures that the latter company is experiencing. While that has only moderately spared AMD’s stock price relative to Nvidia, it bodes well for AMD when demand returns and business begins to boom.
With AMD trading at roughly 16 times its earnings with positive EPS and revenue growth to boot (and now solid free cash flow following its acquisition of Xilinx), the long-term outlook of AMD is attractive.
The Trade Desk (TTD)
I could make an argument for buying Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL, NASDAQ:GOOG) after it has taken a beating so far this year. However, for it to triple, its market capitalization would have to go from $1.25 trillion to $3.75 trillion. I’m bullish on the long-term outlook of Alphabet, but I’m not that bullish on it over the next 13 quarters.
However, one stock that very well could turn $100 into $300 in the next few years is The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD). That’s particularly true if the weakness of Alphabet and others is being experienced by The Trade Desk.
The Trade Desk was not hurt by ad weakness last quarter like many other companies were. But that doesn’t mean it won’t experience such weakness this quarter. For TTD to turn a $100 stake into $300, it would help if the stock first revisits its current 52-week low near $40 as a result of weakness in its ad business. Then, if the stock jumps back to its 52-week high, it will have tripled. That doesn’t seem like too much to ask, considering that the company has such a good business.
Unlike most growth stocks, The Trade Desk is profitable. It also generates robust revenue growth, as analysts, on average, expect its top line to jump 32% growth this year. For each of the next three years, the average estimate calls for the company to deliver 24% to 28% growth.
Snap (SNAP)
Last but not least, we have Snap (NYSE:SNAP). By far the lowest quality name on this list, Snap has been pulverized, falling 91% from its all-time high to the low that it reached earlier this month. The company’s recent earnings report disappointed Wall Street, causing the shares to crater below their 2020 pandemic low.
After bottoming at $7.33, the stock has rebounded sharply. While SNAP could triple if it rallies to $28.75 from its current levels, a retest of the low would make a triple much easier. After falling back to the low, the stock would need to reach just $22 to triple.
In any regard, let’s not mince our words here: A stock doesn’t fall 90% because the company is performing well. Obviously Snap is vulnerable to a further deceleration of ad-spending growth, and its financials are not as strong as those of Alphabet and other ad companies.
Still, this stock went from its Covid low of $7.89 to more than $80 at its high. If it advance by even half that much from its current levels — by climbing to $41.67 — that would equate to a 468% rebound by Snap stock.
On the date of publication, Bret Kenwell held a long position in TTD. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
