Biotech and more: Hold these growth stocks for the next 10 years, the pros say
Growth stocks have been volatile, with tech names going through wild swings in recent weeks. The S & P 500 and the Nasdaq on Wednesday jumped to their best session since February, after both indexes dived to a low not seen since 2022 as tech stocks sold off. U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and indicated that a rate cut could happen as soon as the next meeting in September, giving stocks a boost. On the whole, growth stocks are up this year, although they recently fell slightly. The large-cap Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF is up around 18% this year. The Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF is up around 8%. What are some of such stocks that investors can buy and hold for the next 10 years? CNBC Pro asked fund managers and other investors who focus on growth stocks for some ideas. Waste Management and Republic Services Group Greg Halter, director of research at Carnegie Investment Counsel, named five stocks that he believes are poised for long-term growth. Two of them are garbage companies Waste Management and Republic Services Group . “As the saying goes, the trash must be collected,” he said, adding that both firms have scale and are gaining customers along existing routes. “Customers are willing to pay a price for the trash to be collected, and they have been historically willing to pay an increasingly higher price annually to have the stuff hauled away,” Halter said. He said both firms are entering ventures in which waste is being turned into energy, ramping up efforts in this area. “Driven by the need for increased energy for data centers and artificial intelligence, the [waste to energy] efforts could pay dividends over the coming decade,” he said. While the share prices of both stocks rallied strongly over the past few years, making their price-to-earnings ratios “appear extended,” their prices recently declined, he said. Both names are suited to a 10-year holding horizon, he said. TransDigm and Heico Halter said both TransDigm and Heico , which supply replacement parts for planes, have demonstrated for many years that they can “deliver shareholder value.” Many of these parts are solely sourced by either company, according to him. “[That means] that if you need a new seatbelt or lavatory door handle, you need to get it from someone like TDG or HEI,” he said. There are two segments in this business: original equipment and aftermarket, according to him. Aftermarket is the market for replacement parts not made by the original equipment manufacturer. The original equipment portion of the business is “small” and can last between 35 and 40 years, whereas aftermarket equipment can last for around 50 years and is a “much larger” revenue opportunity, according to Halter. “This combination of OE and Aftermarket has led to solid long-term revenue growth as the average age of the commercial aircraft fleet is now over 14 years,” he said. Another boon for investors is that large one-time dividends have been issued 10 times over the past 15 years, according to him. Casey’s Convenience store chain Casey’s General Stores isn’t a bargain at the moment but it’s a stock that should be on investors’ radar, Halter said. He said Casey’s is a “quality growth” company because of its better pricing, branding, decent free cash flow and growth runway with “superior operations.” The stock has demonstrated for many years that they can deliver shareholder value, he added. Annovis Bio Vahan Janjigian, chief investment officer at Greenwich Wealth Management, likes biotech stock Annovis Bio — but he has a big caveat. The firm is currently working on a treatment for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and everything hinges on the outcome of the trials and whether the drugs will be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, he said. “It’s a highly speculative stock with a binary outcome. If their drug is approved, the stock will do extremely well. If the drug is not approved, the company will likely shut down,” he said. He added that the firm has not earned any revenue, with only expenses incurred. “I think it’s a risk worth taking with a small portion of your overall portfolio; but this isn’t a stock that can be evaluated using standard techniques,” he said. The Parkinson’s drug trial results were mixed, but the stock has already rallied strongly on just the promise of the drug, he said. “The drug was not as effective as hoped for treating Parkinson’s disease, but patients showed significant improvements in cognitive functions. This means the separate Alzheimer’s trial has a good chance of succeeding,” Janjigian said.