The past year proved fruitful for numerous investors, with substantial gains in the stock market. In 2024, with two months already behind us, optimism is exceptionally high, especially within the technology sector.
In light of the favorable trends witnessed in the previous months, Finbold has pinpointed three stocks expected to maintain strong performance in March.
Although these stocks might be less well-known, their technical and fundamental indicators and analyst ratings indicate promising prospects.
Picks for you
Mastercard (NYSE: MA)
Mastercard (NYSE: MA) is one of the world’s leading credit card and payment service providers. In the fourth quarter, Mastercard recorded impressive figures, with a 13% increase in revenue, an 11% rise in net income, and a 10% growth in gross dollar volume.
Mastercard’s advantage lies in its involvement in multiple layers of financial transactions within payment ecosystems. This positioning suggests that its payment volume growth is poised to surpass consumer spending growth by a considerable margin in the upcoming years.
Moving ahead, industry experts and analysts express strong optimism about the company, with their 12-month stock price targets reaching as high as $549, indicating a 15.18% increase from the current valuation of MA stock.
As of the time of writing, MA stock is valued at $476.63. In 2024, it showcased strong growth, showing a year-to-date (YTD) increase of 12.97% and a 0.59% rise in the past week.
Salesforce (NYSE: CRM)
Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) is the leading cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software provider worldwide. Alongside its organic expansion, Salesforce has expanded through a series of acquisitions in recent years, notably acquiring Slack in 2020.
In the fourth quarter, Salesforce reported an impressive 11% YoY of $34.86 billion.
Salesforce is gaining market share from smaller rivals, enhancing its profitability, and presenting an attractive valuation. The company projects to sustain an annual revenue growth rate between 9% and 11% through at least fiscal 2026.
Indeed, the average analyst price target for CRM stock sits at $328.14, just slightly above its current price of $316.88. Furthermore, some analysts believe it has the potential to reach as high as $380 within the next 12 months.
In accordance with the optimistic outlook, CRM stock has added 23.72% to its valuation since 2024 commenced, bolstered by a further 7.20% growth in the past five trading sessions.
Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU)
Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) is known for its suite of accounting and management, tax preparation, and personal finance software.
In the fiscal second quarter, Intuit demonstrated robust performance, reporting an 11% increase in revenue, a remarkable 108% growth in earnings per share, and an 18% revenue uptick in its small business and self-employed group sector.
Analyst Janice Quek from CFRA research commends Intuit’s adept handling of challenges in the current environment, highlighting the company’s various opportunities for market expansion. These opportunities include cross-selling products to existing customers and monetizing its Intuit Assist financial assistant powered by artificial intelligence.
As of now, INTU shares are valued at $666.52. Over the last five trading sessions, they have demonstrated modest growth of 1.19%. Looking at their performance in 2024, they have increased by 10.39% since January 1.
Although these stocks may not be as familiar to investors, they boast strong growth potential. This presents an opportunity for investors to outperform the market and capitalize on companies striving to become industry leaders while simultaneously driving innovation.
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Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.