What is the definition of growth investing?

To begin, it’s important to grasp what growth investing is and isn’t. The strategy entails purchasing stocks linked to businesses that have appealing traits that their competitors lack. These can include easily measurable things like sales and/or earnings growth rates that outperform the market. More qualitative variables, such as strong customer loyalty, a valued brand, or a formidable competitive moat, can also be included.

Growth stocks are more likely to hold promising positions in growing business areas with long expansion runways ahead of them. A growth stock is priced at a premium that reflects investors’ excitement in the company because of its coveted potential and the particularly significant performance the company has achieved in recent years.

As a result, the most straightforward method to tell if a stock is a growth stock is if its valuation, or price-to-earnings multiple, is high in comparison to the broader market and its industry rivals.

Value investing, on the other hand, concentrates on stocks that have fallen out of favour on Wall Street. These are stocks with lower valuations, indicating that their sales and profit possibilities are more limited. Both investment strategies can be successful if used consistently, but most investors choose one side of the spectrum over the other.

Let’s take a closer look at the processes required to completely capitalise on growth investing now that you’ve decided it’s right for you.

Step 1: Get your finances in order.

A solid rule of thumb is to avoid investing in growth stocks with money you won’t need for at least the next five years. That’s because, while the stock market normally grows over time, it frequently has abrupt declines of 10%, 20%, or more without warning. Putting yourself in a position to be compelled to sell stocks during one of these down times is one of the biggest blunders you can make as an investor. Instead, you should be prepared to buy equities when the majority of others are selling.

Step 2: Become familiar with various growth strategies.

Now that you’ve taken the first steps toward a more secure financial future, it’s time to empower yourself with yet another powerful tool: information. After all, there is a variety of growth investing options from which to pick.

For example, you could limit your search to large, well-established companies with a track record of profitable operations. Your strategy could be based on quantitative indicators like operating margin, return on invested capital, and compound annual growth, which can be found in stock screeners. The best growth stocks can be identified by their constant market share gains, rather than share prices.

It’s common sense to concentrate your purchasing on industries and brands you’re familiar with. That knowledge can help you evaluate assets as potential buy candidates, whether it’s because you’ve worked in the restaurant industry or for a cloud computing services company. It’s usually better to know a lot about a small group of companies than to know a little about a large variety of companies.

What matters most to your profits, though, is that you stick to the plan you chose and avoid the temptation to switch from one method to another just because it appears to be working better at the time.

Step 3: Choosing a stock

It’s now time to get ready to start investing. The first step in this process is to determine how much money you want to put into your growth investment strategy. If you’re new to the strategy, it’s a good idea to start modest, perhaps with 10% of your portfolio’s funds. This ratio can rise as you become more comfortable with the volatility and gain experience investing in a variety of markets (rallies, slumps, and everything in between).

Growth stocks are deemed more aggressive, and consequently more volatile than defensive equities, so risk plays a large factor in this decision. As a result, a longer time horizon gives you greater leeway to skew your portfolio toward this investing strategy. If your portfolio makes you nervous, it’s a solid indicator that you have too much of a growth stock allocation. If you’re concerned about possible losses or are concerned about prior market dips, you might wish to diversify your portfolio and limit your exposure to individual growth stocks.

Step 4: Maximize your profits

Growth stocks are notoriously volatile, and while you should try to hold each investment for at least a few years, you should keep a watch on big price movements for a few reasons.

If a section of your holdings has grown in value to the point where it now dominates your portfolio, rebalancing your portfolio may be a good way to lessen your exposure.

If a stock’s price climbs much over your estimation of its value, you should consider selling it, especially if you have an alternative, more fairly priced purchase in mind. If the company has encountered a snag that contradicts your initial investment thesis or the reason you bought the stock in the first place, you should consider selling. Major management blunders, a long-term decline in pricing power, or disruption by a lower-priced competitor are all examples of a shattered thesis.

Choosing the best growth stocks is not anyone’s cup of tea. But with FinLearn Academy’s Investing in Growth Stocks Course, you are one step closer to becoming a professional stock market trader.