Key Points
Meta’s AI-powered ads will drive its long-term growth.
ASML will remain the linchpin of the global semiconductor market.
CrowdStrike’s cloud-native cybersecurity services will replace on-site appliances.
The stock market is often considered the world's greatest wealth creator, but some recent data compiled by The Motley Fool reveals that many Americans are still missing out on those life-changing gains. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 62% of American adults owned stocks. The Federal Reserve also found that baby boomers held 54% of all shares in the U.S., while Gen Xers and Millennials only held 21.9% and 8.5%, respectively.
Those lopsided percentages could be bad news for the Gen Xers, who are already 45 to 60 years old. But if you're a Gen Xer who has at least a decade left before retirement, you might want to invest in a few high-growth tech companies that have wide moats, robust growth rates, and clear plans for the future.
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So today, let's take a look at three stocks which I (as a 45-year-old Gen Xer) either personally own or would be comfortable buying in this frothy market: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), ASML (NASDAQ: ASML), and CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD).
1. Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, is the world's top social media company with 3.48 billion monthly active users across all its apps. It generates most of its revenue by crafting targeted ads for those users, and it shares a near-duopoly in digital ads with Alphabet's Google.
Meta has been upgrading its own AI algorithms to craft better targeted ads from its own first-party data to reduce its dependence on third-party data. It's been expanding Reels to keep up with TikTok in the short video space, and it's been subsidizing the expansion of its unprofitable Reality Labs segment (which develops its loss-leading virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) products) with its higher-margin advertising revenue.
From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect Meta's revenue and earnings per share (EPS) to grow at a CAGR of 16% and 13%, respectively. That growth should be driven by the ongoing expansion of its user base, the increased efficiency of its AI-powered ads, and the gradual growth of its AR and VR businesses. Its stock also looks reasonably valued at 25 times next year's earnings -- so it could still have plenty of room to run over the next few years.
2. ASML
ASML is the world's largest producer of lithography systems, which are used to optically etch circuit patterns onto silicon wafers. All of the world's largest chip foundries -- including TSMC, Samsung, and Intel -- use its systems to manufacture their chips. ASML is also the only producer of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) systems, which are required to produce the world's smallest, densest, and most power-efficient chips.
ASML's monopolization of that crucial technology makes it a bellwether of the semiconductor industry and gives it nearly unlimited pricing power. Its latest "high-NA" EUV systems, which cost about $400 million and require multiple planes to ship, will allow those foundries to manufacture even smaller chips beyond the 2nm node (which currently covers the world's densest chips) over the next few years.
From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect ASML's revenue and EPS to grow at a CAGR of 10% and 17%, respectively. That growth should be supported by the rollout of its high-NA EUV systems, its consistent sales of its "low-NA" EUV systems, as well as the stable sales of its older deep ultraviolet (DUV) systems for more mature nodes. Its stock might seem a bit pricey at 33 times next year's earnings, but its dominance of the lithography market justifies that higher multiple.
3. CrowdStrike
CrowdStrike is one of the world's largest cybersecurity companies. But unlike many of its peers, which install on-site appliances to run their services, CrowdStrike only provides its Falcon endpoint security platform as a cloud-based service. That approach is easier to scale, doesn't require on-site maintenance, and locks its clients into its sticky subscriptions.
CrowdStrike already serves 300 of the Fortune 500 companies, so its disruptive strategy is clearly impressing a lot of big customers. It initially gives each customer access to four cloud-based modules, which serve as a foundation to cross-sell additional modules to increase the stickiness of its ecosystem and boost its revenues per customer. In its latest quarter, some 48% of its customers were using at least six of those cloud-based modules.
From fiscal 2025 (which ended this January) to fiscal 2028, analysts expect CrowdStrike's revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to grow at a CAGR of 22% and 28%, respectively. They also expect it to turn profitable on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis in fiscal 2027 and more than double its net income in fiscal 2028. Its stock might not seem like a bargain at 70 times next year's adjusted EBITDA right now, but it should continue to thrive through economic downturns because companies generally won't lower their digital defenses just to save a few dollars.
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Leo Sun has positions in ASML and Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends ASML, Alphabet, CrowdStrike, Meta Platforms, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
