We recently published a list of 12 Most Profitable Growth Stocks To Invest In. In this article, we are going to take a look at where PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD) stands against other most profitable growth stocks to invest in.
After the September inflation report, the market did feel a slight bit of panic but it seems to be fading away. After the report, the market expectations for a rate cut shifted, with 79.9% of participants predicting a cut to 450-475 basis points, while 20.1% expect the rates to remain unchanged. It was a change from 32.1% expecting a 50 bps rate cut and 67.9% anticipating a 25 bps cut at the beginning of the month as mentioned in our 8 Most Profitable Blue Chip Stocks to Invest in article.
However, on October 11, the CME FedWatch tool showed that 89.5% of the market now expects a 25 bps rate cut and the rest expect it to remain the same.
Market Corrections Ahead but No Bear Market in Sight
Christian Mueller-Glissmann from Goldman Sachs joined CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the latest market trends. He believes that the stock market pullback in August could be a warning of more potential corrections, but he does not see a severe bear market ahead. His overall outlook is positive due to a healthy macroeconomic environment, where growth remains stable, inflation is under control, and central banks are starting to reduce rates. These factors create a favorable setting for equities and other risk assets.
He pointed out that while bullish market positioning contributed to August’s setback, the combination of declining inflation and rate cuts allows central banks to cushion against financial shocks, minimizing the risk of a deep downturn.
Mueller-Glissmann highlighted two key reasons for not expecting a major market decline: inflation has significantly dropped, giving central banks more flexibility, and price momentum over the past 6-12 months suggests a strong macroeconomic backdrop. With the labor market improving, he sees no signs of an economic downturn.
His strategy focuses on quality growth stocks that are temporarily undervalued and cyclical value stocks that could recover as the market stabilizes. Regarding inflation, he noted a shift from inflation relief to growth as the main market driver, raising concerns about inflation resurfacing if growth strengthens. However, he remains confident that inflation will stay anchored, and disinflation will continue into the year’s end.
Our Methodology
For this article, we used stock screeners to identify nearly 25 growth stocks above the market cap of $10 billion with a 5-year revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% or above. Next, we narrowed our list to 12 stocks with the highest TTM net income. We also mentioned the hedge fund sentiment around each stock, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q2 database of 912 hedge funds.
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 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A close-up of a customer using the company’s e-commerce platform whilst shopping online.
PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD)
5-Year Revenue CAGR: 74.92%
TTM Net Income: $13.751 billion
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86
PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD) is a global commerce group that operates various businesses, including the e-commerce platforms Pinduoduo and Temu. Pinduoduo offers a wide selection of products, ranging from agricultural goods and clothing to electronics, furniture, and personal care items. Temu is an online marketplace designed to connect businesses with consumers in the digital space.
The company management is making moves to improve its business significantly. The company is focusing on diverse consumer needs and has expanded its offerings in various categories, particularly in lower-tier cities. It experienced significant growth in the number of new merchants and agricultural vendors in recent quarters.
In the second quarter, PDD (NASDAQ:PDD) reported a remarkable increase in total revenues driven by online marketing and transaction services. However, management also highlighted rising costs, especially in fulfillment and operational expenses.
The company reported total revenues of RMB 97 billion (RMB 1 = US$0.14), representing an impressive year-over-year growth of 86%. The operating profit also experienced significant growth with a GAAP operating profit of RMB 32.6 billion, up from RMB 12.7 billion a year prior. The company closed the quarter with a healthy cash position of RMB 284.9 billion.
PDD (NASDAQ:PDD) is also trading at quite cheap levels. It is trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 11.74, a nearly 30.4% discount to its sector median. Additionally, analysts expect a nearly 83.5% increase in its EPS this year.
Hayden Capital stated the following regarding PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD): A few weeks ago, Latepost (a leading Chinese technology news outlet) confirmed Pinduoduo’s online grocery initiative is solidly profitable (LINK). According to the article, Duoduo Grocery is able to achieve ~5% net profit margins in competitive markets (where they go up against Meituan Select). In non-competitive markets, they can achieve ~10 – 15% net margins.
The company doesn’t disclose the exact scale of Duoduo Grocery, but our calculations indicate it’s likely around ~RMB 300BN this year, and still growing in the double-digits. At that level, the division is likely contributing ~US $2.5BN in annual profits.
It’s an impressive result, but admittedly, not a huge needle-mover in light of the total $17.6BN net profits the company is expected to make this year (~14% of overall profits)…” (Click here to read the full text)
Overall, PDD ranks 2nd on our list of most profitable growth stocks to invest in. While we acknowledge the potential of PDD as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PDD 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.