We recently published a list of the 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years. In this article, we are going to take a look at where e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF) stands against other stocks that should double in 3 years.
On April 25, Kari Firestone, Aureus Asset Management executive chairman and co-founder, joined CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the latest market trends and express how this is a reasonable place for long-term investors to enter the market. Despite persistent concerns about a recession coming from tariffs, Firestone thinks that corporate earnings have generally exceeded expectations. The strong performance of major tech companies has been a key driver behind the market’s recent gains, such as those in the MAG7. Elaborating on the significance of these tech giants, Firestone also underscored that the top 2 companies in the S&P 500, regardless of which they are, match the market value of the bottom 300 companies in the index. This concentration means that these leading firms are fundamental to the US economy’s progress.
The conversation then addressed the impact of proposed FDA budget cuts on innovation for biotech companies. Firestone agreed that such cuts could slow down the approval process for new products and drug manufacturing, and she advised against reducing the FDA’s budget. However, she believes that the market has already priced in these risks. She compared the situation to previous market overreactions, such as the 32% drop during the early COVID-19 period, which was followed by a rapid recovery.
Firestone also concluded that the market is now fairly valued. Some sectors offer attractive opportunities due to recent price declines. She assessed the overall market valuation in light of tariff uncertainties and the recent rebound from a 20% drop to a current decline of about 10.5%. She explained that the market’s price-to-earnings multiple has decreased from 22.5x next year’s earnings to 18.5x, assuming no severe recession. She’s confident that the market is unlikely to end the year lower than current levels and recommends that long-term investors enter the market at this stage. Firestone believes that the market has partially priced in the impact of tariffs. She estimated that a 5% to 10% tariff is reflected in current prices. While a full-blown recession may not be entirely priced in, a slowdown likely is.
Our Methodology
We sifted through financial media reports and Reddit threads to compile a list of the top 30 stocks that should double in 3 years. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q4 2024. The hedge fund data was sourced from Insider Monkey’s database which tracks the moves of over 1000 elite money managers.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A close up of the lip and eye products from the company on a model in a fashion and beauty shoot.
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 35
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF) provides cosmetic and skin care products under the e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. Skin, Well People, Naturium, and Keys Soulcare brand names. It offers eye, lip, face, paw, and skin care products. It sells its products through national and international retailers and DTC channels, which include e-commerce platforms.
e.l.f is the number one brand at Target, with over 20% of the market. It also moved up to the number 2 spot at Walmart. The company had 6 of the top 10 new makeup product launches in 2024. Although the overall sales forecast for FY25 was slightly lowered to 27% to 28% growth, e.l.f. Beauty Inc. (NYSE:ELF) plans to continue introducing new versions of popular products. On April 9, Canaccord analyst Susan Anderson expressed that the weakness in the company’s shares due to the tariff situation in the country presents a buying opportunity. The firm has a Buy rating and $105 price target on ELF stock.
e.l.f also doubled its market share in just 3 years. In FQ3, e.l.f.’s color cosmetics segment improved by 16% year-over-year, even though the overall market shrank 5%. This difference allowed the company to gain a 2.2% market share. It’s now the top-selling brand in terms of the number of units sold, with a 14% market share.
Polen US Small Company Growth Strategy is positive on the company’s long-term potential and stated the following regarding e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:
“The Portfolio’s top detractors were Progyny, elf Beauty, and Alarm.com. E.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF), a discount beauty company focused on cosmetics and skincare, is a new addition to the Portfolio this quarter. Please see Portfolio Activity below for further detail. We are intrigued by the company’s impressive track record for growth, margins, and returns on capital. While elf has reported significant results all year, shares came under pressure, in our view, as short-term investors primarily appeared to anticipate a slowdown in revenue growth, possibly due to investor concerns of market saturation, economic conditions, and valuation concerns, among other factors. While we are confident in how we underwrote our initial investment for returns above the portfolio average, the stock has come under even more pressure than we anticipated. We used this weakness to add to our position. We’re intrigued by the strength elf has experienced across its retailer and ecommerce channels, particularly in taking market share in a challenging consumer environment, given their relatively inexpensive prices vs. competitors.
elf Beauty, described above, is a discount beauty company focused on cosmetics and skincare. We find the company’s reputation for quality, innovation, and prices below mass cosmetics brands to be uniquely positioned. While this combination of innovation, quality, and value has led to compelling growth, we still believe it’s early days for the company. elf’s brand awareness is significantly less than that of more prominent players; it is still adding shelf space, expanding its product portfolio, and entering the skincare market. elf is also still a US-focused business, with some early signs of international success. The company’s financial profile is strong, and we expect EPS to grow by 25% over the long term.”
Overall, ELF ranks 25th on our list of the stocks that should double in 3 years. While we acknowledge the growth potential of ELF, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ELF but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
