Early this year, the S&P 500 proved that we are in a bull market, investors' favorite. Growth and consumer-dependent enterprises benefit from this optimism. We've seen many of them rise recently, leading the index.
You may want to avoid investing in players that have risen significantly in recent weeks or months. They may be too pricey and ready to stagnate or decline. Sometimes the current growth is only a preview of the company's long-term performance. That implies investing now is smart. Here are two rising equities that fulfill the bill; I'd buy them now without hesitation.
1. Goal Target's (NYSE: TGT) earnings and share price fell during the past two years as inflation lowered consumer spending. Target created an efficiency plan, leveraging its strengths including its locations' fulfillment relevance and its owned brands' appeal and strong margins. Target has prioritized long-term growth by constructing new stores and renovating others to keep customers happy.
The result? Target's last earnings report showed significant growth, with full-year wins in numerous metrics. Cash from operations more than quadrupled to $8.6 billion, operating income margin was 5.3%, and GAAP and adjusted earnings per share were $8.94, both 50% higher than in 2022. Target cut costs by about $500 million.
All of this suggests Target is improving and its shops should increase. In the last earnings call, CEO Brian Cornell noted that most U.S. shopping is still done in stores. Even after rising 17% this year, Target trades for only 17 times projected earnings forecasts, making it a good time to buy this top stock while the U.S. consumer recovers and thrives.
2. Amazon Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) struggled in previous years as inflation impacted consumers and raised operating costs. But Amazon overhauled its cost structure, which has been paying off and should continue to raise earnings.
In the latest quarter, the e-commerce giant posted double-digit net sales growth and operating profits that doubled. E-commerce and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have contributed to this expansion. AWS has typically fueled Amazon profit, and this tendency seems to continue. In the quarter, AWS earned $7.1 billion, 54% of Amazon's operating income.
Amazon benefits from investing in AI, a fast-growing field. AI streamlines operations, saving time and money and making consumers happy by delivering packages faster. AWS offers chips, code companions, and a fully managed solution that lets customers customize top big language models.
Amazon trades at 41 times projected profit forecasts, down from 56 a few months ago after climbing 15% this year. That's a bargain for a company that can profit in bull markets and long-term.
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