We recently curated a list of 11 High-Risk High-Reward Growth Stocks To Buy Now. Here, we take a detailed look at Paymentus Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PAY) and its ranking among the top picks.
The stock market has an ever-changing environment, leaving investors constantly looking for opportunities that promise substantial returns for their investments. Gaining a consistent placement in the portfolio of such investors is a growth stock. These growth stocks have historically been highly valued among investors seeking high investment returns. However, another essential characteristic of a growth stock is the risk proportional to its level of return. In other words, growth stocks may deliver significant capital appreciation but have heightened volatility.
Changes often influence the volatility of growth stocks in market conditions. In this regard, the U.S. market conditions underwent many changes soon after the new U.S. president entered the Oval Office. The new tariffs brought into practice have created tension between the U.S. and its neighboring countries, including Mexico and Canada. CNBC has reported that owing to the change in tariffs, the price of many commodities, including cars, has risen. It heavily impacted the U.S. stock market. Even the tech industry, which garnered high expectations, saw a decline since the beginning of 2025, though investors still regard many companies in the industry as worthy investments.
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While investors fear a potential rise in inflation and recession in the following months, some growth stocks are performing better while accumulating a high risk level. Compared to other stocks, their performance must be considered before deciding to welcome these stocks into the portfolio.
During the past decade, growth stocks have significantly outperformed their value counterparts. A report by Vanguard stated that during the last 10 years, the U.S. growth stocks have performed better than the U.S. value stocks by an average of 7.8% per year. The upward trend increases the attractiveness of growth stocks for those seeking high returns.
On the other hand, stock markets can be cyclical, with growth and value stocks shifting their leadership roles in the market. The cyclical nature suggests that growth stocks may enjoy periods of dominance, but they are not to be mistaken as immune to market rotations, which may favor value stocks.
A proper approach is necessary when investing in high-risk, high-reward growth stocks. The growth stocks may either belong to companies in emerging industries or be in possession of innovative products or services that could quickly attract the market. Though investors may be attracted to the stocks’ potential for substantial gains, they also need to be cautious of the associated risks, and hence, the approach should involve thorough research and a well-considered investment strategy.
The list we have created here could offer some assistance in an informed decision-making process for investors with respect to growth stocks.
Our Methodology
We applied a screening approach when curating our list of 11 high-risk, high-reward growth stocks to buy now. The selection criteria primarily focused on companies with strong earnings and sales growth. Since we wanted our list to be comprised of stocks with high historical performance and future potential, we considered only those with an EPS growth rate of 20% in the past five years and as the next five years’ projection. Also, only the companies with a sales growth of more than 20% in the last five years were incorporated into the list. We considered the stocks’ volatility and set the beta threshold at 1.5. Finally, market capitalization was restricted to small-cap and more extensive ($300 million+). Additionally, we looked into the number of hedge funds backing the stocks to understand the institutional interest in the stock. For this purpose, we used the Insider Monkey database of Q4 2024. The stocks are ranked according to analysts’ upside potential.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A woman using a tablet to navigate the cloud-based bill payment technology.
Paymentus Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PAY)
Beta: 1.64
5-Year Sales Growth: 30.04%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 25
Analyst Upside Potential: 7.95%
A cloud-based bill payment platform, Paymentus Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PAY) serves businesses and financial institutions from its Charlotte, North Carolina headquarters. Unlike traditional payment processors, the company integrates real-time payment solutions across multiple channels, thereby increasing customer engagement. AI-driven automation and omnichannel payment experiences increase the company’s market share against its competitors in the U.S. and Canadian markets.
An increase of 56.5% year-over-year was announced in the fourth quarter results, with the revenue reaching $257.9 million for the quarter. Paymentus Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PAY) has further surpassed its full-year target, reaching a 41.9% increase, with the total revenue for 2024 standing at $871.7 million. The company’s diverse market reach strategy was the primary contributor behind the increase in revenue. Currently, the customer base is comprised of insurance, government services, and utilities segment customers. However, potential market volatility is expected in 2025, impacting customer payment behaviors.
Paymentus Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PAY) has a beta of 1.64, indicating moderate volatility compared to some of the other stocks on our list. The five-year sales growth of 30.04% reflects a steady expansion within the digital payments sector. The past EPS growth of 35.18% projects an upward-trending profitability. The forecasted 20.82% increase for the next five years suggests a more tempered outlook.
We recognized a moderate institutional interest, with 25 hedge funds holding stakes. Analysts estimate a modest 7.95% upside from the current price, which makes it one of the aggressive stocks to consider.
Overall, PAY ranks 11th on our list of high-risk high-reward growth stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential for PAY as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold more significant promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PAY but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
