Trimble Navigation Limited (TRMB), Stratasys, Ltd. (SSYS), iRobot Corporation (IRBT): Three High Growth Companies That Swayed A Boring Investor

I’ve just started to build stake in a third company, iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT). It has created robot platforms that can perform in unknown and changing environments, versus fixed robots such as the ones on assembly lines. Their robots have years of real-world experience in the field. A robot platform, be it a home vacuum or their recent medical robot, coupled with being open to collaboration and development from other partners (their recent RP-VITA robot partners with an established telehealth company and can use an iPad for an interface) suggests applications on the horizon that I can’t even imagine yet. The founder is still the CEO and a long history of profitability, although it has had some recent hiccups. Over the past several years, its cleaning robots had spotty consumer ratings which kept me away, but these have improved in recent robot releases.  Finally, the recent price swoon, in part due to a cyclical trough in military revenue, made it attractive to buy for real. One risk to iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT) is that they get leapfrogged by another technology in both the consumer and military spaces, or their margins erode substantially as me-too companies enter the space.

Identifying best of breed high growth companies and keeping tabs on them for a drop in price is simple, but not easy. The big dips require a gut check and a review of the thesis that underpins the investment, but holding on throughout the roller coaster ride for the long term can add a great tailwind to your portfolio. Thanks for reading, and consider sharing what high growth companies you have on your watchlist in the comments below.

The article Three High Growth Companies That Swayed A Boring Investor originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Anthony Reilley.

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