My Top 7 Growth Stocks for 2026
The 7 Samurais: A Battle Royale for Growth Stock Supremacy
The 7 Samurais: A Battle Royale for Growth Stock Supremacy
On January 10th, I shared this analysis with my premium members. I picked 7 growth stocks, gave specific entry prices, and laid out exactly why I believed in each one.
Two months later, four of those seven are down 30% or more.
I’m showing you the receipts anyway. Unedited. Because I think this is one of the most important moments in growth investing right now — and I’d rather show you the red on my screen than pretend it doesn’t exist.
Here’s where the 7 samurai stand today:
Read that table carefully. The stocks that are down 30-35% just posted revenue growth of 66% to 201%. These aren’t broken businesses. These are broken prices.
ALAB grew revenue 92% and the stock dropped a third. CRDO grew 201% — the fastest top-line growth of any company I cover — and lost a third of its value. APP is printing money at 84% EBITDA margins and the market slashed it by a third because of a short-seller report that was partially retracted.
Meanwhile, my three infrastructure picks — Netflix, GE Vernova, and Vertiv — are up 10%, 36%, and 49% respectively. VRT’s backlog doubled to $15 billion. GEV’s backlog hit $150 billion. Netflix walked away from a messy Warner Bros. acquisition and pocketed a $2.8 billion breakup fee.
I own APP and CRDO. My position in GEV & VRT is substantial. My children’s portfolios hold Netflix and CoreWeave.This isn’t theoretical analysis. This is family money.
So why am I still bullish? Because the data tells me these companies are fundamentally stronger today than when I wrote this article eight weeks ago. The AI infrastructure buildout hasn’t slowed down — hyperscaler capex is set to hit $660-690 billion in 2026, nearly double last year. Every cloud provider reports being supply-constrained, not demand-constrained. The companies in this article sit at critical chokepoints in that buildout.
What’s changed is sentiment, not substance. And for systematic investors who think in years rather than weeks, that’s exactly when you want to pay attention.
The original article follows below — completely unedited. Every price, every thesis, every ranking exactly as my premium members received it on January 10th, 2026.
Judge for yourself whether the analysis holds up.
I’m opening this Substack to give family investors the same quality of research I share with my premium members. While the VIX stays above 18, I’ll be sharing content like this for free — because volatile markets are exactly when families need clear, systematic thinking the most. Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s coming next.
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5-7 min read | Premium Member Analysis | 10th January 2026
I spent my weekend watching Netflix’s “Last Samurai Standing” and I couldn’t stop thinking about the stock market.
In the show, 292 fallen samurai gather at Kyoto’s Tenryuji Temple. Each warrior stripped of their former glory, desperate for survival in a changing world. Only one rule: the last one standing wins everything. The rest? They don’t make it.
Sound familiar?
That’s exactly what’s happening in the growth stock arena right now. Dozens of companies claiming to be “the next big thing” - but only a handful have the fundamentals to survive what’s coming. The rest will get cut down when the market turns.
So I picked 7 samurai. Seven growth stocks that I believe have the blade, the discipline, and the staying power to outlast the competition. Let me show you why each one made my list - and more importantly, how we compare apples to apples using BuyTrigger 3.0’s new analytical framework.
Why These 7?
Let me give you the quick thesis on each warrior before we analyse them together.
Netflix (NFLX) is disrupting entertainment again. Sports, gaming, global expansion - Netflix has evolved into a staple app that people are willing to pay for. But here’s what excites me most: when AI tools like Sora 3 mature, Netflix could slash production costs dramatically while boosting margins. Think about it like Uber with autonomous vehicles - fewer labour headaches, more profit per subscriber. The LeBron James of this group - older, wiser, but still physically capable of competing with players half his age.
GE Vernova (GEV) is an industrial behemoth riding America’s energy renaissance. Everyone talks about nuclear, but the real near-term opportunity is gas-to-power infrastructure. America needs to catch up to China’s energy capacity, and GEV sits right at that bottleneck. I genuinely think GEV will face a Micron-style problem where demand overwhelms supply capacity.
Vertiv Holdings (VRT) is the cooling and power equipment provider that datacenters can’t live without. The 2022-2026 buildout established the foundation. The 2026-2032 wave? That’s acceleration. Every hyperscaler capex announcement isn’t just buying Nvidia chips - it’s buying land, buildings, and cooling infrastructure. VRT has a mega role to play as this template spreads globally.
CoreWeave (CRWV) has 10x scaling potential because they’re essentially the Hertz car rental of datacenters for the AI era. Companies won’t have the capital to build their own infrastructure in Europe and beyond - but they’ll happily rent capacity to get ahead. This is like the 90s rental car boom that catered to both tourism and logistics growth. First-mover advantage in a massive market.
Astera Labs (ALAB) is the plumbing company of the AI infrastructure buildout. When buildings were booming in 1970s New York, someone had to ensure sewage and utilities were managed efficiently. High-bandwidth data has the same problem - someone needs to manage the traffic and ensure nothing backs up. ALAB solves that connectivity bottleneck.
Credo Technology (CRDO) is the insurgent in high-speed data connectivity. They’re winning share from incumbents by offering superior active electrical cables (AEC) and SerDes solutions at a fraction of traditional optical costs. Five major hyperscalers are now customers. When the new player takes market share from established giants, you pay attention.
AppLovin (APP) is quietly disrupting Google, Facebook, and even Amazon in digital advertising. Their AXON 2.0 AI engine delivers hyper-efficient ad targeting without the SEO headaches and buyer friction. Think of them as the Airbnb of ad tech - disrupting bloated incumbents by being leaner and smarter. And with 60% EBITDA margins, they’re printing money while they do it.
How Do We Compare Apples to Apples?
Here’s where it gets interesting.
If anyone tells me to just compare P/E ratios, they should be decapitated like a losing samurai in battle. Because slapping a simple P/E on growth stocks tells you absolutely nothing about their future trajectory. You’ll miss the forest for the trees - and miss the 10-baggers while you’re at it.
With BuyTrigger 3.0, I’ve built a multi-dimensional framework that lets us compare these seven warriors on equal footing. Let me walk you through each metric.
1. CAGR Growth: The Attack Power
CAGR - Compound Annual Growth Rate - combines historical performance with forward projections into a single percentage. This tells me how fast a company is actually growing.
Look at the chart. The young challengers are swinging hard: CRDO at 129%, CRWV at 134%, APP at 96%, ALAB at 63%. These are samurai in their prime, blade swinging.
But don’t dismiss the mature warriors. GEV at 58% and VRT at 50% are still growing at rates most “growth” stocks would envy. And Netflix? At 30%, they’re the LeBron James of this group - older, wiser, but somehow still averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.
My threshold: Anything above 30% long-term growth gets a first tick from me.
2. Risk Assessment: The Defence
We know the road ahead isn’t a straight line. If business fundamentals collapse or deviate, high-growth stocks will feel it first. All the CAGR and R40 in the world won’t save you if the thesis breaks.
The risk scores tell the story: CRDO at 93, APP at 90, VRT at 81, ALAB and CRWV at 80. These are aggressive warriors. They swing big, they can get cut big.
On the other end, Netflix sits at 54 and GEV at 60. These are your stability anchors - the samurai with thicker armour. Lower risk doesn’t mean lower quality. It means higher probability of steady returns with less volatility. For family portfolios focused on wealth preservation alongside growth, these anchors matter.
3. Growth-to-Value Ratio: The Efficiency Blade
This is where we make P/E actually useful.
The formula: (CAGR ÷ P/E) × 10
This tells us how much growth we’re getting per unit of valuation. Higher is better - you want maximum growth per dollar of price.
CRDO and CRWV lead here because their insane growth rates justify their valuations. But here’s the insight on APP that might surprise you: despite trading above its BuyTrigger, their 96% CAGR with 60% margins makes the valuation justifiable. When you’re growing that fast and pocketing 60 cents of every dollar, you can afford to trade at a premium. The Growth-to-Value ratio proves it mathematically - APP isn’t expensive for what you’re getting.
Think of it this way: would you rather pay a “cheap” P/E of 15 for a company growing 5%, or a “expensive” P/E of 40 for a company growing 100%? The Growth-to-Value ratio answers that question.
4. Rule of 40: Growth Potential Indicator
Rule of 40 is the sum of TTM Revenue Growth plus Adjusted EBITDA Margin. This tells me the growth potential of the business - are they growing fast AND making money doing it?
The younger growth stars show massive R40 numbers: ALAB at 238, CRDO at 221, CRWV at 195, APP at 99. These companies are pricing their products well because they’re specialists in high-demand niches. Every dollar of revenue, they’re pocketing a substantial portion.
Now here’s where context matters. VRT at 39 and GEV at 11 have lower R40 scores. Why? Their margins are compressed by raw materials, heavy equipment, and infrastructure costs required for their industrial clients. This is the nature of their business, not a flaw in it.
What does this mean practically? The higher R40 stocks have more 10x potential - massive upside if things go right. GEV trades that moonshot potential for something else: stability. With a risk score of just 60, it’s more likely to deliver steady 2-5x returns without the stomach-churning drawdowns. VRT sits in a unique spot - lower R40 but higher risk at 81, meaning you’re taking on volatility without the same upside. That’s why entry point matters even more for VRT.
Different tools for different jobs. Context matters.
Netflix at 45 sits comfortably in the middle. LeBron James is still scoring efficiently - not chasing highlight dunks, just consistent production night after night.
BuyTrigger & ValueTrigger: The Entry Points
Here’s what I’m most excited about.
Five out of seven samurai are still in BuyTrigger zones.
NFLX: Trading at $89 vs BuyTrigger at $101. That’s a 13% discount to entry - perfect zone.
VRT: At $164 vs BuyTrigger at $180. Perfect entry territory.
CRDO: At $150 vs BuyTrigger at $180. Strong partial entry opportunity.
ALAB: At $163 vs BuyTrigger at $165. Essentially at the line.
CRWV: At $80 vs BuyTrigger at $80. Right at trigger - no ValueTrigger yet but R40 framework supports entry.
The two above BuyTrigger? APP at $648 (vs BT $590) and GEV at $623 (vs BT $545). They recently left the zone, but any pullback brings them right back into consideration.
None of these stocks are ridiculously overvalued. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bring them to you.
The Rankings: Your Call
If I rank purely on growth potential, ALAB sits at the top and GEV anchors the bottom.
But here’s the thing about GEV that keeps me excited. Yes, their current margin is only 3%. But management is guiding 8-9% for 2025, 11-13% for 2026, and 20% by 2028. If they execute, GEV’s R40 score transforms completely. This is exactly why I think GEV could be the next Micron situation - when demand and supply bottleneck clash, margins explode. The market isn’t pricing that in yet.
If I rank on Power Ratings (our composite quality score), NFLX and GEV lead while CRWV trails.
If I rank on CAGR alone, CRWV and CRDO dominate while NFLX comes last.
If I rank on stability and lower risk, NFLX and GEV are your champions.
So which ranking is correct?
All of them. And none of them.
The right ranking depends on YOUR portfolio goals:
Want maximum upside with higher risk? Weight toward CRDO, ALAB, CRWV, APP
Want quality and stability? Weight toward NFLX, GEV
VRT? It’s the wildcard - datacenter tailwinds are real, but you need a good entry point given the risk profile
Want a balanced approach? Spread across all seven based on pyramid allocation
I’ll let you judge the rankings. That’s what the BuyTrigger framework is for - giving you the data to make your own informed decisions, not telling you what to buy.
What’s Next
The full BuyTrigger 3.0 platform is coming soon. It will include forecast information, enhanced ratings, real-time buy and value triggers, and advanced valuation metrics like everything you’ve seen in this analysis.
I couldn’t wait to share this because these BuyTrigger entry points might not last. Markets move. Opportunities close.
Hope you enjoyed this content as much as me researching this.
BuyTrigger 3.0 launching late January 2026. Premium members get first access.
P.S. Adjusted EBITDA Margin strips out one-off costs, stock compensation, and accounting noise to show what the business actually earns from operations. It’s the cleaner measure for comparing growth companies at different stages.