Some investors may see declining share prices as a signal to exit the market. However, I have a different view. If a business is performing well, lower share prices should be viewed as an opportunity to accumulate the stocks of great businesses to keep for the long term. As these companies grow their profits, cash flows and dividends, their share prices will also rise in tandem, thus allowing you to compound your wealth and get ever closer to your dream retirement.
That said, selecting the right companies should involve a careful process that focuses on key attributes. Some of these characteristics are: being a dominant player within their industry, having a great track record of surviving through challenging times, and possessing catalysts that act as tailwinds to sustain growth for years or even decades. The three businesses below have the above qualities and more, such that they may deserve a place in your investment portfolio.
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Lululemon
Lululemon (LULU -0.80%) is a market leader in the yoga and running sports apparel and footwear sector and its innovative fabrics and attractive designs are inspiring more people to purchase its wide range of products. The company’s growth has been stunning as it increased its sales and net income throughout the pandemic by leveraging on heightened demand for home exercise and healthy lifestyles. Net revenue jumped from $3.98 billion for fiscal 2020 ended Feb 2 to $6.3 billion for fiscal 2022 (FY2022). Net income surged by 51% from $645.6 million to $975.3 million over the same period.
Lululemon’s retail store count has also increased in tandem with its top and bottom lines. Total company-operated stores increased from 491 in FY2020 to 574 in FY2022. The first half of fiscal 2023 (1H2023) saw this momentum continuing as the company reported a 30.1% year over year jump in revenue to $3.48 billion. Net income climbed 35.8% year over year to $479.5 million, and the sports apparel giant ended the quarter with 600 company-operated stores.
There could be more to come as Lululemon announces an ambitious five-year plan to double its revenue from FY2021 levels to $12.5 billion by 2026. The company intends to tap on three pillars to fuel this growth. The first is product innovation whereby new product categories will be launched to capture a larger slice of the market. The second is to build stronger connections with its customer base by launching a new, two-tiered membership program later this calendar year, and the third is to expand its international revenue by entering new countries. Investors already got a taste of the third initiative when Lululemon announced its plan to launch an e-commerce platform in Spain and open stores in both Madrid and Barcelona. With this plan in action, it looks like Lululemon is on track to enjoy many more years of steady growth.
Monster Beverage
When it comes to energy drinks, no one does it better than Monster Beverage (MNST -0.20%). The company has grown steadily through the pandemic as demand for its wide range of energy drinks remains robust. Net sales stood at $4.2 billion in 2019 and rose to $5.5 billion by 2021. Net income increased from $1.1 billion to $1.4 billion over the same period, with the number of cases sold jumping from 448.8 million to 613.4 million.
Monster’s recent earnings report continues to impress, with second-quarter net sales hitting a record high of $1.66 billion, up 13.2% year over year. The first half of 2022 saw sales rise 17.3% year over year, but a sharp increase in the cost of sales due to increased freight rates, fuel costs and higher aluminium prices led to a 21.1% year over year decline in net income during the period. The higher costs are temporary, though, and should work themselves out of the system in due course.
The company has stated that product supply is normalizing and a price increase has been implemented in the US at the beginning of September. Price increases in selected international markets are also planned for the second half of this year, and the company also released a new product “The Beast Unleashed”, its first alcohol-based product under its main brand. With its strong brand name and pricing power, Monster’s earnings look set to resume their growth once the company works out the kinks in its supply chain.
DocuSign
DocuSign (DOCU 0.95%) is a market leader in digital signatures and its DocuSign Agreement Cloud offering allows individuals and businesses to electronically sign a document conveniently and securely. The company saw its business benefit strongly from a surge in digitalisation caused by the pandemic, and its revenue from fiscal 2020 (FY2020) to FY2022 more than doubled from $918.5 million to $2.04 billion. DocuSign also narrowed its net loss from $208.4 million to $70 million over the same period.
More importantly, DocuSign generated healthy free cash flow for both FY2021 and FY2022 of $214.6 million and $445.1 million, respectively. Its track record of growth has continued into the first half of fiscal 2023 (1H2023), with revenue rising 23.4% year over year to $1.2 billion and the company generating $280 million of free cash flow. DocuSign estimates that its total addressable market is around $50 billion, which will offer sufficient room for the company to continue growing. It intends to accelerate its growth by driving greater adoption of e-signatures and by pushing its notarization product, as well as expanding into new areas such as analytics and driving new use cases throughout organizations.
