Investors who seek 50% returns in less than 12 months generally will have many choices within stable stocks. The general maxim regarding risk and return applies here: Risky, unstable stocks tend to offer much higher return potential. It logically follows that stability and high returns don’t often go together. This has led to this list of stable stocks for returns.
That’s the point of this article. I’ve used a screener tool to identify stocks that have a low beta and are also projected to increase by 50% or more in price.
The stocks discussed below generally represent more conservative and stable Industries. However, for various reasons, they are also primed to grow rapidly.
Let’s take a look at these stable stocks for returns which offer a potent combination of relative stability and high upside. They would make a nice addition to most portfolios.
Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL)
Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ:ODFL) is a supply chain stock worth paying attention to. The company operates a less than truckload (LTL) freight shipping business.
Old Dominion Freight Line’s most recent earnings report denotes softness within its sector. In all of 2023 revenues fell by 6.3% while net income fell by 10%. That said, the company began to head in the right direction toward the end of 2023. In the 4th quarter revenues increased very slightly despite a 2% decline in volumes. Thus, like many other firms, Old Dominion Freight Line is capable of passing on the higher prices to customers. It’s one of those stable stocks for returns.
The company will need to do more given that net income declined by 0.3% in Q4. This screener suggests potential upside well above 50%. Old Dominion Freight Line’s stability is evidenced by a beta of 1.03. The company has fourth quarter momentum on its side and a clear opportunity to continue appreciating in price.
Insulet (PODD)
Insulet (NASDAQ:PODD) is one of many promising stocks within the burgeoning diabetes management industry. The company develops and sells automated insulin pod delivery systems that are paired with an automated glucose monitor. The market within which insulate operates is expected to essentially double in size between 2023 and 2030. Insulate will not be the only stock worth considering in this sector but it is one which offers relative stability paired with upside.
Let’s quickly look at those metrics that suggest its shares offer that combination. Share prices move essentially in line with the broader stock market based on its beta. Analyst target prices suggest that shares currently valued at $164 could increase by more than $100 in value.
It’s difficult to find much fault in Insulet as an investment based on 2023 results. Revenues increased by 30% overall in 2023. Those results were even better in the fourth quarter with revenues increasing by nearly 38%.Perhaps even more importantly, Insulet became substantially more profitable last year. In 2022 the company reported $4.6 million in that income. That figure increased to $206.4 million in 2023.
VinFast Auto (VFS)
VinFast Auto (NASDAQ:VFS) is one of the better positioned companies and stocks on this list. The Vietnamese EV manufacturer represents multiple burgeoning sectors and is well regarded despite current issues affecting the electric vehicle industry overall.
Vietnam continues to emerge as a country for global supply chains as the China-U.S. rivalry heats up. The country has become a major export manufacturer and received fast growing foreign direct investment in recent years. It’s part of the reason that VinFast Auto looks better than many of its contemporaries.
It’s widely expected that the company’s growth will see it through the current downturn that has plagued the EV sector.The company delivered nearly 35,000 vehicles in all of 2023, representing 374% growth. The company also gave guidance that it anticipates that it will deliver more than 100,000 vehicles in 2024. As the EV sector rebounds and those sales continue to increase shares have the potential to more than double and perhaps triple.
Alibaba (BABA)
Alibaba (NASDAQ:BABA) is a Chinese e-commerce giant and a stock that many have identified as one having high potential. It’s well established that Alibaba often draws comparisons to Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and I think that’s a good place to start.
Amazon is one of the most valuable firms globally with a market cap of roughly $1.8 trillion. Alibaba, on the other hand, carries a market cap of $188 billion. Amazon is expected to produce somewhere in the neighborhood of $640 billion in revenues in 2024. Alibaba is expected to produce approximately $140 billion. Amazon is roughly 10 times as valuable as Alibaba yet only produces approximately 4 to 5 times more sales. Does Amazon deserve a premium for having carved out such a strong business? Yes. Yet it’s also easy to argue that Alibaba deserves more credit.
The company is also ramping up share buybacks with the intention of increasing share prices.
Chinese stocks have been troubled for the past few years but sooner or later Alibaba is going to rebound and produce strong returns.
Enbridge (ENB)
Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) Is a pipeline transporter of oil and gas. In other words, it is a midstream energy stock and one worth considering for its stability and upside. The company operates the world’s longest pipeline system with 9,299 miles of pipeline in the U.S. and 8,510 miles of pipeline in Canada.In bridges natural gas pipeline is much more extensive by mileage and moves roughly 20% of all gas consumed in the U.S.
The company’s stability is evidenced by its most recent earnings report which reaffirmed its 2024 financial guidance. The company is particularly attractive given its position in relation to natural gas. Demand for LNG is high at present. Enbridge recently formed a joint venture in order to supply that high export demand. The JV will connect natural gas resources in the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast. The stock also offers a high-yield dividend making it doubly attractive to income investors.
Indie Semiconductor (INDI)
Indie Semiconductor (NASDAQ:INDI) Is a chip company focused on the opportunity in the automotive sector. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and vehicle autonomy are a burgeoning market. It is expected that the ADAS market will grow at an annual rate of roughly 12% between this year and 2030.
The company, however, is growing at a much faster rate. Fourth quarter revenues eclipsed $70 million representing growth of 112% year over year. 2023 revenues increased by 101% reaching $223 million.
The company managed to win business by capturing in cabin monitoring program accounts with multiple large vehicle manufacturers. Meanwhile, Indie Semiconductor was also recognized by Morgan Stanley as the fastest growing Semiconductor company in the world over the past two years.
The company’s net loss is also decreasing and reached $20 million in the fourth quarter. The company expects first quarter revenues to grow by nearly 40% making it a hypergrowth firm.
Treace Medical Systems (TMCI)
Treace Medical Systems (NYSE:TMCI) is a fast growing medical supply company in a niche area. The stock is expected to grow rapidly from its current price and position.
The company develops and sells systems that are used in the correction of foot issues. The medical terms for those procedures are called lapiplasty and adductoplasty. The terms refer to bunion correction and the correction of metatarsal bones, respectively.
The company just celebrated a milestone. Its Lapiplasty 3D Bunion Correction System was used on the 100,000th patient. The company increased the number of train doctors for those systems by 20% during 2023. Average revenues For each correction kit sold reached $6,437, a record high. Revenues increased by 32% overall in 2023 and by 25% during the fourth quarter. The company has a clear opportunity to continue selling more of its procedure kits into healthcare systems and training doctors. It’s clear that the returns on increased sales are very high given that a 20% increase in 2023 equated to a 32% increase in revenues.
On the date of publication, Alex Sirois did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.