4 Stocks With Solid Sales Growth to Bet on Amid Market Uncertainty

Markets began 2025 on a strong footing but have since been gripped by heightened volatility because of the Trump administration’s tariff plans, which have resulted in ambiguity. The uncertainty has clouded expectations around the tariffs’ potential impact on the U.S. economy and the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decisions. Amid this backdrop, investors are approaching the markets with increased caution.

Therefore, the conventional method of selecting stocks is the need of the hour. One such way is choosing stocks with steady sales growth. In this regard, StoneCo Ltd. STNE, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. ICE, Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. SWX and The Mosaic Company MOS are worth investing in.

When evaluating a company, revenues often receive more scrutiny than earnings. Investors focus on a business’s ability to generate increasing sales over time, as this shows its potential to expand the customer base. In contrast, stagnant or declining sales may signal underlying headwinds. While a company can still generate profits in the short term, sustained growth is necessary to attract new investors.

Strong revenue growth is also essential for long-term profitability. While earnings can be improved by cutting costs, consistent bottom-line expansion typically requires steady sales increases.

Yet, sales growth alone cannot provide a proper picture of a company’s financial health. Evaluating a company’s cash position alongside its revenues is a more effective investment strategy. A strong cash balance and steady cash flow provide flexibility for strategic decisions, operational stability and future investments.

Selecting the Potential Winning Stocks

To shortlist stocks with impressive sales growth and a high cash balance, we have selected 5-Year Historical Sales Growth (%) greater than X-Industry and Cash Flow of more than $500 million as our main screening parameters.

But, sales growth and cash strength are not the absolute criteria for selecting stocks. Hence, we have added other factors to arrive at a winning strategy.

P/S Ratio less than X-Industry: This metric determines the value placed on each dollar of a company’s revenues. The lower the ratio, the better it is for picking a stock since the investor is paying less for each unit of sales.

% Change F1 Sales Estimate Revisions (four weeks) greater than X-Industry: Estimate revisions, better than the industry, are often seen to trigger an increase in stock price.

Operating Margin (average last five years) greater than 5%: Operating margin measures how much every dollar of a company's sales translates into profits. A high ratio indicates that the company has good cost control and sales are increasing faster than costs — an optimal situation.

Return on Equity (ROE) greater than 5%: This metric will ensure that sales growth is translated into profits and the company is not hoarding cash. A high ROE means that the company is spending wisely and is in all likelihood profitable.

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform, irrespective of the market environment. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

4 Stocks With Robust Sales Growth to Consider

Cayman Islands-based StoneCo provides financial technology and software solutions to merchants and integrated partners to conduct electronic commerce across in-store, online and mobile channels in Brazil. STNE offers financial services, including payment, prepayment, digital banking and credit solutions.

StoneCo’s expected sales growth rate for 2025 is 12.2%. STNE sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present.

Intercontinental Exchange, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, is a leading global operator of regulated exchanges, clearing houses and listings venues, and a provider of data services for commodity, financial, fixed-income and equity markets. ICE has evolved and grown over the past two decades, primarily on buyouts and collaborations.

Intercontinental Exchange’s expected sales growth rate for 2025 is 7.3%. ICE currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Southwest Gas is an energy holding company based in Las Vegas, NV. SWX makes deliveries of natural gas under a priority system established by state regulatory commissions.

Southwest Gas’ sales are expected to rise 2.8% in 2025. SWX sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present.

Tampa, FL-based Mosaic is a leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash for the global agriculture industry. MOS is the biggest integrated phosphate producer globally and among the four largest potash producers in the world.

Mosaic’s expected sales growth for 2025 is 10.2%. MOS, at present, carries a Zacks Rank #2.

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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at:https://www.zacks.com/performance

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