It might be hard to believe, but in just seven weeks, we'll be saying our goodbyes to 2019. Although investors have endured a couple of short-lived rough patches, it's been an exceptionally strong year for the stock market. The broad-based S&P 500 is up 23%, the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 18%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite has returned almost 27%.
How good are these returns? Well, let's just say that the S&P 500, inclusive of dividends and when adjusted for inflation, has historically returned 7% annually, with the Dow closer to 5.7% a year, on average, over its 123-year history.
And it's not just these indexes that stand out. Of companies with a market cap of $300 million or larger, 124 have gained at least 100% year to date, through Nov. 5. Just because the calendar is about to change over to a new year doesn't mean this optimism can't carry over.
If you're looking for a number of intriguing investment ideas for next year, consider these 20 stocks as possible candidates to double your money in 2020.
1. Innovative Industrial Properties
Yes, cannabis real estate investment trusts (REIT) are a real thing, and they can be quite lucrative! Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE:IIPR), the best-known marijuana REIT on Wall Street, is already profitable and growing at a lightning-quick pace. After beginning 2019 with 11 medical marijuana-growing and processing properties in its portfolio, it now owns 38 properties in 13 states that span 2.8 million square feet of rentable space.
The beauty of Innovative industrial Properties' business model is that it creates highly predictable cash flow. The company's weighted-average remaining lease term is 15.6 years, and its average current yield on its $403.3 million in invested capital is a cool 13.8%. At this rate, it'll net a complete payback on its invested capital in just over five years.
As long as marijuana remains illicit at the federal level in the U.S., access to capital will be dicey for cannabis cultivators. That makes Innovative Industrial's acquisition-and-lease model a veritable green rush gold mine for 2020.
2. Pinterest
If you missed out on the Facebook IPO and have been kicking yourself for the past seven years, don't fret. Social media photo-sharing site Pinterest (NYSE:PINS), which allows users to create their own virtual boards based on their interests, could be your second chance to profit.
Like most brand-name social media sites, Pinterest has seen exceptionally strong user growth. Monthly active user (MAU) count rose to 322 million by the end of September, up 71 million from the prior-year period. What's most notable about this growth is that it's mostly coming from international markets (38% MAU growth vs. 8% in the U.S.). Even though ad-based revenue is minimal in foreign markets, it nevertheless demonstrates that Pinterest has global appeal.
The company is also making serious strides to monetize these users by boosting average revenue per user (ARPU) globally. In recent quarters, Pinterest has simplified its ad system for smaller businesses, focused its efforts on boosting ARPU in overseas markets, and pushed for video, which has a much higher repost rate than static images. These efforts appear to be paying early dividends, with international ARPU more the doubling to $0.13 from $0.06 over the past year.
With Pinterest forecast to push into recurring profitability next year, a doubling of its stock is certainly not out of the question.
3. Intercept Pharmaceuticals
Never overlook a first-mover advantage — especially when it pertains to a $35 billion indication!
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a liver disease that affects between 2% and 5% of all U.S. adults, has no cure or Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments, and is expected to be the leading cause of liver transplants by the midpoint of the next decade. And according to Wall Street, it's a $35 billion untapped disease.
In late September, Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ICPT) submitted a new drug application for Ocaliva, a treatment for NASH. While the high dose of Ocaliva did lead to an unsettling number of pruritus (itching)-based dropouts in late-stage studies, it also produced a statistically significant reduction in liver fibrosis levels, relative to baseline and the placebo, without a worsening in NASH at the 18-month mark. Even if Intercept's Ocaliva only secures a small subset of the NASH market, it has the potential, if approved by the FDA, to quickly earn blockbuster status of $1 billion or more in annual sales. Suffice it to say that 2020 could be a banner year for this midcap biotech stock.
4. Redfin
With interest rates and mortgage rates on the rise throughout much of 2018, it looked as if the fun had come to an end for a hot housing market. But following a trio of Federal Reserve rate cuts and a big drop in Treasury yields, the housing industry is hotter than it's been in more than a year. That, along with low mortgage rates, could be the perfect recipe for online real estate brokerage company Redfin (NASDAQ:RDFN) to double in 2020.
Unlike some of the companies you'll see on this list, profitability isn't a near-term priority for Redfin. Rather, scaling its tech-driven platform and taking real estate service market share are its primary goals. One way Redfin is doing this is by undercutting traditional real estate agents with its salaried agents. With a listing fee of just 1%, Redfin cuts out costs that generally irritate buyers and sellers.
More so, Redfin is looking to infiltrate the high-margin servicing business to make the buying and selling experience less of a hassle. It's expanding nationally and consolidating tasks, such as title, appraisal, and home inspection, into a single package that consumers can designate the company to handle, thereby removing a key buying or selling objection. Perhaps it's no surprise that this real estate disruptor grew sales by 39% in the second quarter and saw its market share rise 11 basis points to 0.94% of U.S. existing home sales from Q1 2019.
5. Meet Group
The online dating industry is worth, by some accounts, $3 billion in annual revenue, and Meet Group (NASDAQ:MEET), which specializes in livestreaming and social media interaction (including online dating), is a company that growth and value investors should be swiping right on.
Whereas most of the tech world focuses on bigger names with broader brand recognition, Meet Group's mobile portfolio of apps, which includes MeetMe, Lovoo, Skout, Tagged, and Growl, has done an admirable job of growing the business. More specifically, the company's laser focus on bolstering its video business is really paying dividends. During the second quarter, daily active video users increased to 892,000, representing 21% of total users where Live is available on their app. This is important given that video revenue per daily active user grew to $0.26 in Q2 2019 from $0.15 in the prior-year quarter.
Furthermore, Meet Group's big spending on security enhancements is now in the rearview mirror, according to a third-quarter preliminary update. This mobile livestreaming site is growing at a double-digit rate, has a focus on high-margin video, and sports a forward price-to-earnings ratio of eight (yes, eight!). This multiple, and stock, could both easily double and still have room to run.
6. Exelixis
In all fairness, Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) has had an incredible run on the coattails of lead drug Cabometyx. Following its approval to treat second-line renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and first-line RCC, the company's share price rose from $4 to $32 between Jan. 2016 and Jan. 2018. Now, back at $16, Wall Street is wondering, what's next?
In the early months of 2020, Exelixis and partner Bristol-Myers Squibb may have that answer. The duo are expected to reveal results from the CheckMate 9ER late-stage trial that combines Cabometyx with Bristol-Myers' blockbuster immunotherapy Opdivo, which also happens to be an RCC rival. If this combination therapy dazzles, the duo could snag an even greater share of the RCC market, further boosting Cabometyx's case as a blockbuster drug.
Investors should also know that Exelixis offers a rare value proposition in the highly competitive and often money-losing biotech space. This is a company offering double-digit sales growth, a forward P/E of 16, and a PEG ratio of a minuscule 0.36. With patent cliffs remaining challenging for Big Pharma, Exelixis, in addition to potentially notching a win with CheckMate 9ER, might find itself as a buyout candidate in 2020.
7. StoneCo
Although Warren Buffett is best known for buying value stocks, the fastest-growing stock in Buffett's portfolio (at least from a revenue perspective), StoneCo (NASDAQ:STNE), could be primed to double in 2020.
StoneCo isn't exactly a household name, but this $10 billion payment solutions and business management software developer is finding plenty of interest for its fintech offerings in Brazil. During the second quarter, which StoneCo reported in mid-August, the company saw total payment volume for its merchants rise 61% year over year, while active clients increased 80% to 360,200 from the prior-year period. Since Brazil remains largely underbanked, there's a long-tail opportunity for StoneCo to make its mark with small-and-medium-sized businesses in the country.
StoneCo is also investing heavily into its software subscription model. On a sequential quarterly basis, subscribed clients more than doubled to approximately 70,000 in Q2 from 32,000 in Q1 2019. While StoneCo won't appear cheap in 2020 due to its aggressive reinvestment strategy, its Wall Street-estimated top-line growth rate of 38% may have enough firepower to double this stock.
8. Planet 13 Holdings
Although legalizing marijuana across the U.S. would make life easier for vertically integrated multistate operators (MSO), it's not exactly a problem for Planet 13 Holdings (OTC:PLNHF), which approaches its seed-to-sale model a bit differently than other MSOs.
Planet 13 is all about creating the most unique experience imaginable for cannabis consumers. The company's SuperStore in Las Vegas, Nevada, just west of the Strip, spans 112,000 square feet and will feature a pizzeria, coffee shop, events center, and consumer-facing processing site. At 112,000 square feet, it's the largest dispensary in the U.S., and is actually 7,000 square feet bigger than the average Walmart. The company is also developing a second location that'll open next year in Santa Ana, Calif., just minutes from Disneyland.
Aside from its sheer size and selection, Planet 13's transparency and technology stand out. The company is utilizing self-pay kiosks in its stores to facilitate the payment process, and provides monthly updates on foot traffic and average paying ticket size for investors. Maybe most striking, Planet 13 has about 10% of Nevada's entire cannabis market share. It could have its investors seeing green in 2020.
9. First Majestic Silver
Precious-metal mining isn't exactly known as a high-growth industry. However, following years of conservative spending, and after witnessing gold and silver spot prices soar in 2019, miners like First Majestic Silver (NYSE:AG) are suddenly sitting pretty.
Even before gold and silver moved higher by a double-digit percentage in response to falling U.S. Treasury yields, First Majestic was making waves. In May 2018, it closed a deal to acquire Primero Mining and its flagship San Dimas mine. Between incorporating the low-cost San Dimas into its portfolio, and looking at ways to bolster its existing assets (e.g., modifying the roasting circuit at its La Encantada mine to add up to 1.5 million ounces of silver production per year), First Majestic has seen its silver equivalent ounce (SEO) production grow from 16.2 million ounces in 2017 to perhaps north of 26 million SEO in 2019.
First Majestic should also benefit from a return to historic norms in the gold-to-silver ratio (i.e., the amount of silver it takes to buy one ounce of gold). Historically, the gold-to-silver ratio has hovered around 65, but is currently at closer to 84. This would suggest silver has the potential to outperform gold in the intermediate-term; and no mining company has greater exposure to silver as a percentage of total revenue than First Majestic Silver.
10. Trupanion
According to the American Pet Products Association, an estimated $75.4 billion will be spent on our pets in 2019, with $19 billion alone on veterinary care. Given that 63.4 million U.S. households have a dog, and 42.7 million have a cat, the opportunity for the pet insurance market is huge. That's where Trupanion (NASDAQ:TRUP) comes in.
Trupanion is a provider of lifelong insurance policies for cats and dogs. Like any insurance company, Trupanion is built for long-term profitability. Most insurers offer predictable cash flow and have exceptional pricing power, which is a necessity if they're to cover claims. But Trupanion is going where few insurers have gone before. U.S. and Canadian pet insurance market penetration is just 1% and 2%, respectively, which is providing some learning curve bumps along the way, but also giving Trupanion an incredibly long runway to growth.
Trupanion is currently unprofitable, but it appears close to turning the corner to profitability. Sales grew by 26% in the second quarter, and are expected to romp higher by 20% in 2020, according to Wall Street. If the company continues to find success with referrals, it's very possible it could surprise in the earnings column next year.
11. Ping Identity
What do you get when you combine some of the hottest tech trends into one company? None other than identity solutions provider Ping Identity (NYSE:PING), which recently IPO'd in September.
While there are plenty of cybersecurity providers, Ping's uniqueness derives from its use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to attempt to identify users and computers as trusted. Being able to operate within the confines of traditional enterprise networks, or being tasked with securing cloud networks, Ping offers an assortment of products that should be able to meet the needs of small, medium, and large-scale businesses. Not surprisingly, it should be capable of double-digit sales growth in the near-term, like its peers.
What also can't be overlooked in the fast-growing security space is that Ping's valuation is a modest $1.3 billion. After being acquired by private equity firm Vista Equity for $600 million in 2016, Ping delivered a doubling of that value in three years, following its IPO. This demonstrates the potential of focused individual security, and makes it all the more likely that Ping Identity could be quickly scooped up by a larger rival.
12. Livongo Health
As you've probably caught on by now, this list of stocks that could double in 2020 is full of disruptors, and Livongo Health (NASDAQ:LVGO) certainly fits the bill.
Livongo is a developer of solutions that helps people change their health habits. By supplying testing kits that connect to smartphones, and utilizing data science, Livongo works to change the behavior of diabetics, and can also be used to assist patients with hypertension. Given that over 30 million people have diabetes (most being type 2 diabetics), and a number of these folks could use some serious help managing their symptoms, Livongo Health's products are exactly the disruptor needed in this space.
According to the company's second-quarter results, the number of clients in Livongo's ecosystem nearly doubled on a year-over-year basis to 720, while the number of enrolled diabetes members did more than double to 192,934. More importantly, Livongo's triple-digit sales growth rate cannot be overlooked. While profits are highly unlikely in 2020, a year of market-topping revenue growth is very possible.
13. Lovesac
When the calendar changes to 2020, relax, put your feet up, and let small-cap Lovesac (NASDAQ:LOVE) do the heavy lifting for your portfolio.
Lovesac, the home furnishings company that sells beanbag chairs, sectional couches, and a host of other in-home decorations, has struggled in 2019 amid trade-war concerns. It's been hit hard by higher tariff costs, and that's clearly brought investor worry to the forefront.
However, a quick look at Lovesac's second-quarter operating results should relieve most worries. By passing along modest price hikes to consumers, as well as reducing its reliance on China from 75% to 44% of its manufacturing, the company has, in a very short time frame, reduced the impact of the trade war going forward.
What's more, these price hikes don't appear to be adversely impacting the company's fast-growing and niche furnishings business. Lovesac reiterated full-year sales growth of 40% to 45%, with comparable store sales growth coming in at 40.7% in the second quarter, and noted that new customers and repeat clients are driving growth. Although profitability is still probably two years away, sales growth of at least 40%, with a price-to-sales ratio of right around 1, could be more than enough to send this stock rocketing higher.
14. Amarin
The biotech industry is always a good bet for a volatility, and Ireland-based Amarin (NASDAQ:AMRN) might have a real shot to grow from a midcap to a large-cap valuation in 2020 thanks to its lead drug, Vasecpa.
Vascepa, a purified fish oil derivative, was approved by the FDA all the way back in 2012 to treat patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG). But it's not Vascepa's potential in treating SHTG patients that's got Wall Street excited. Rather, it's a supplemental new drug application stemming from a five-year Harvard study in 8,179 people with milder (but still high) triglyceride levels. The results showed that Vascepa lowered the aggregate risk of heart attack, stroke, and death in these patients by 25%. In other words, if Vascepa were to be approved for an expanded label indication to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, its potential pool of patients could grow tenfold, as would its sales potential.
Later this month, on Nov. 14, an AdCom meeting will take place to discuss Amarin's marketing application for Vascepa, as well as to vote on whether or not the members of the committee favor approval. By January 2020, at the latest, Amarin should have the FDA's official decision on Vascepa (the FDA isn't required to follow the AdCom's vote, but it often does). If I were a betting man, I'd count on positive reviews all around.
15. CalAmp
In Aug. 2018, Bain & Co. predicted that the Internet of Things global market would more than double from $235 billion in spending to $520 billion in just four years' time (between 2017 and 2021). That global opportunity is too lucrative to overlook for small-cap CalAmp (NASDAQ:CAMP).
CalAmp, which provides software and subscription-based services, as well as cloud platforms that support a connected economy, has been hurt in recent quarters by the trade war with China, as well as sales weakness in its Telematics segment that's been tied to a few core customers. However, CalAmp has reduced its Telematics product sourcing from China to around 50% from 70% to 80% earlier in the year, thereby minimizing the pain it feels from the trade war. Also, a number of customers blamed for its sales slowdown in Telematics (e.g., Caterpillar) are on the cusp of ramping up production as upgrades are made from 3G to 4G.
As Telematics growth picks back up, the company has seen record sales from its software subscription segment. Sales rose 65% year over year in the latest quarter, and now account for a third of total quarterly revenue. In short, the CalAmp growth story is just getting started, and 2020 could feature some very favorable year-on-year comparisons.
16. Aimmune Therapeutics
Another biotech stock with a potential first-mover advantage in 2020 is Aimmune Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AIMT).
Aimmune's lead drug is Palforzia, an oral drug that's designed to lessen the symptoms associated with peanut allergy in children and teens. There is no FDA drug currently approved to treat peanut allergy in adolescents, and an estimated 4% to 6% of all children in the U.S. have some form of allergy to peanuts.
Now, here's the great news: Palforzia looked like a star in late-stage clinical trials. Patients aged 4 to 17 were administered increasingly larger doses of peanut protein during the study, and 67.2% taking Palforzia completed the study without needing to discontinue the trial. This compared to a mere 4% on the placebo who completed the trial.
More good news: Palforzia has already been given the thumbs up by the FDA's Allergenic Products Advisory Committee. Even though the FDA isn't required to follow the vote of its panel of experts, it does so more often than not. It appears likely that Palforzia will get a green light in January, and it could be on track for more than $470 million in annual sales (by Wall Street's consensus) by 2022. With other treatments in development for egg and walnut allergies, Aimmune looks well on its way to carving its own niche in the biotech space, and potentially doubling its stock in 2020.
17. Antero Midstream
Midstream is the unsung hero of the energy infrastructure space. While drillers retrieve fossil fuels and refiners process them, it's midstream providers that are the essential middlemen providing transmission, storage, and a host of other services that ensure these products make it to refineries for processing. Antero Midstream (NYSE:AM) may be just one of many midstream operators in the U.S., but it also might hold the distinction of being the cheapest and most likely to rebound in 2020.
Antero Midstream acts as the middleman for Antero Resources, a producer of natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) operating out of the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale region in the Appalachia. This region is known for its natural gas and NGL production, which is worth noting given that LNG demand in North America could quadruple between 2018 and 2030, according to estimates from the McKinsey Energy/Insights Global Energy perspective model. This should provide a solid foundation of fee-based revenue for Antero Midstream.
Antero Midstream also recently announced a $300 million share repurchase program, suggesting that its board feels its stock is too cheap. If fully executed, this share buyback would remove about 8% of the company's outstanding shares, and it shouldn't impact the company's jaw-dropping, yet seemingly sustainable, 17% dividend yield. Including this payout, Antero Midstream could very well double next year.
18. MediPharm Labs
Marijuana stocks throughout Canada have suffered through supply issues since day one of adult-use legalization more than one year ago. But one ancillary niche that should be immune to these struggles is extraction services. The company you'll want to know in this space is MediPharm Labs (OTC:MEDIF).
Extraction-service providers like MediPharm take cannabis and hemp biomass and produce resins, distillates, concentrates, and targeted cannabinoids for their clients. These are all used in the creation of high-margin derivatives, such as edibles and infused beverages, which were just legalized in Canada on Oct. 17, and will hit dispensary shelves in a little over a month. Since derivatives offer much juicier margins than dried cannabis flower, demand for cannabis and hemp extraction services should remain strong.
What's more, extraction providers like MediPharm often secure contracts ranging from 18-to-36 months, leading to highly predictable cash flow. With MediPharm's Barrie, Ontario, processing facility eventually on its way to 500,000 kilos of annual processing potential, and the company already profitable, it would not be the least bit surprising if MediPharm doubled in 2020.
19. Stitch Fix
Even high growth stocks can hit a rough patch; just ask the shareholders of online apparel company Stitch Fix (NASDAQ:SFIX). Following poorly received fourth-quarter results and weaker-than-expected sales guidance for the first quarter, Stitch Fix is a lot closer to its 52-week low than 52-week high at this point. However, things could change in a big way in 2020.
For starters, Stitch Fix is a potential retail disruptor that can capitalize on consumers in two ways. First, there's the subscription side of the business that includes a stylist who picks outfits and accessories out for customers, who then to decide to keep (buy) or return these items. Secondly, but more recently, Stitch Fix has also been finding success with its direct buy program, which allows its members to skip the stylist and purchase highly curated and personalized product directly off its website. The company believes this dual-growth approach will play a key role in revenue growth reacceleration. It's worth noting that despite its fourth-quarter report being poorly received by Wall Street, active clients grew 18% to 3.2 million from the prior-year period.
Stitch Fix is also planning to expand its offerings to men and children, and would be expected to bolster advertising as these new lines roll out. The company pointed out in its most recent quarter that fiscal first-quarter sales guidance is weaker because it lifted its foot off the gas pedal with regard to advertising. That's an easy fix that should have Stitch Fix mending its weakness pretty quickly in 2020.
20. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Not every stock that doubles has to be growing at 20%, 30%, or more, per year. Sometimes, it just requires Wall Street and investors to readjust their outlook.
Brand-name and generic drug giant Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA) has had a miserable go of things for nearly four years. A combination of generic-drug pricing weakness, opioid lawsuits, bribery allegations, high debt levels, and the shelving of its once-hefty dividend, have sunk Teva's stock by almost 90%. But a renaissance of sorts may be on the horizon.
You see, Teva lost more than half of its value in 2019 after 44 U.S. states sued the company, and many of its related peers, over the manufacture and sale of opioids. However, Teva appears to be making progress on these lawsuits by offering free medicine to select states, and, more importantly, not having to outlay much of its precious cash. If these opioid suits are resolved, it's not crazy to think Teva regains pretty much all of the ground it lost when they were announced.
At the same time, Teva's turnaround specialist, CEO Kare Schulze, has reduced annual operating expenses by $3 billion and lowered net debt by $8 billion in a couple of years. Teva has the potential to really change some opinions in 2020, and that could lead to a doubling in its share price.