3 Monster Stocks to Hold for the Next 3 Years

As the S&P 500 hovers near its record highs, it might seem like a risky time to buy more growth stocks. But if you plan to hold your stocks for at least a few years, it's still a great time to dip your toe into some high-growth plays that could generate monstrous long-term gains.

If you can stomach some near-term volatility, I think Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS), IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), and Chime (NASDAQ: CHYM) deserve a closer look. These stocks might seem speculative, but they could also soar a lot higher over the next three years.

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1. Nebius Group

Nebius was once known as Yandex, the top online search company in Russia. But after the sanctions against Russia derailed its expansion, it divested its core Russian assets, repurposed its data centers to handle AI applications, and rebranded itself as Nebius -- a provider of cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure services headquartered in the Netherlands.

Nebius only operates a single data center in Finland, but it leases other data centers through colocation deals in Missouri, France, and Iceland. It recently signed another colocation deal in the United Kingdom, and it's currently building its second first-party data center in New Jersey.

Its data centers provide its customers remote access to Nvidia's powerful GPUs to process their machine learning and AI tasks. It also plugs those cloud-based GPUs into managed services like Kubernetes to become a "one-stop shop" for building AI applications.

From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect Nebius' revenue to grow at a CAGR of 233% to $4.34 billion. They also expect its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to turn green in 2026 and nearly triple to $852 million in 2027.

That explosive growth should be driven by its new data center openings, a new $17.4 billion AI infrastructure deal with Microsoft, and its growth in new customers. With an enterprise value of $29.4 billion, it's still reasonably valued at 7 times its projected sales for 2027 -- so it could still have a lot of room to run as the AI market expands.

2. IonQ

IonQ is one of the early movers in the quantum computing market. Unlike classical computers, which store data separately in binary bits of zeros and ones, quantum computers can store them simultaneously in qubits to process certain tasks at a faster rate.

IonQ achieves that quantum state in its processors by trapping ions (individually charged atoms) in electromagnetic fields and manipulating them with lasers. That sets it apart from older systems, in which electrons (subatomic particles with a negative charge) are accelerated through "superconducting loops." IonQ's ion-driven systems can be operated at room temperature, while electron-driven systems must be refrigerated.

From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect IonQ's revenue to grow at a CAGR of 94% to $315 million, but its adjusted EBITDA is expected to stay red as it prioritizes the expansion of its business over its near-term margins. IonQ measures its total quantum computing power in algorithmic qubits (AQ), and it expects that metric to surge from 64-100 AQ in 2025 to 10,000 AQ in 2027. That breakneck growth should be supported by its new Tempo system, which will arrive in the near future and mark a big upgrade from its older Aria and current-gen Forte systems.

With an enterprise value of $20.9 billion, IonQ's stock might seem pricey at 66 times its projected sales for 2027. However, it could deserve that premium valuation if it hits its ambitious targets as the quantum computing market expands.

3. Chime Financial

Chime provides fee-free checking and savings accounts with overdraft protection, early pay features, and other financial tools. It also issues a Visa debit card with fee-free access to over 50,000 ATMs nationwide and an entry-level Visa credit card.

The company mainly targets lower-income customers who don't have enough assets to open higher-value, fee-free accounts at traditional banks. Its early pay tools are useful for people who live paycheck to paycheck, and its credit card helps them gradually improve their credit scores.

Chime isn't a bank. Two FDIC-insured banks -- the Bancorp Bank and Stride Bank -- actually hold and manage its accounts. It generates most of its revenue by taking a cut of the "swipe fees" Visa charges merchants for processing their card payments. It also earns incentives from those two banks for bringing in more customers.

Chime ended its latest quarter with 8.7 million active members -- compared to its 8 million members at the end of 2024 and 6.6 million members at the end of 2023. It could still have plenty of room to expand as it pulls more lower-income customers away from traditional banks. From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect Chime's revenue to rise at a CAGR of 23% to $3.1 billion. They also expect its adjusted EBITDA to turn positive in 2025 and grow at a CAGR of 125% to $455 million in 2027.

With an enterprise value of $5.4 billion, it still looks like a screaming bargain at 2 times next year's sales and 20 times its adjusted EBITDA.

Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Microsoft, Nvidia, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends IonQ and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.