2 Tech Stocks I’m Still Buying Even After They’ve Surged 200%

Don’t let these high valuations scare you away. Both of these stocks have run up more than 200% in less than half a year, but I’m still very bullish.

| More on:

Tech companies Shopify (TSX:SHOP)(NYSE:SHOP) and Lightspeed (TSX:LSPD)(NYSE:LSPD) have both been on absolute tears over the past six months. Since the beginning of April, Shopify’s share price has grown more than 200%, while Lightspeed is up more than 225%.

To be fair, the Canadian market in general has been on an incredible run since April. The S&P/TSX Composite Index has grown 27% over the last six months. That’s pretty impressive considering that this index has only delivered 17% growth over the past five years.

So, with the market up almost 30% in half a year, it’s not surprising to see some companies trading at all-time highs today. 

Shopify and Lightspeed might each be up 200% in half a year, but I’m not even close to taking profits on either of the companies. 

I’ve reviewed why I believe there is still plenty of growth left in the tank for both companies. Investors shouldn’t think that they’ve missed the boat on either of these growth stocks.  

Valuations are high for both stocks — no question there. But as a long-term, Foolish investor, I’m happy to add to my positions, even after they’ve run up 200% in just six months.

Shopify stock

Valued at a market cap of roughly $175 billion, Shopify is Canada’s largest publicly traded company. The fact that it’s the country’s largest company makes it even more impressive that it’s up 200% over the past six months and more than 2,500% over the past five years.

Shopify is coming off a monster quarter, where the company posted revenue growth just shy of 100%. The surge in revenue partly came as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Many brick-and-mortar businesses across the country were forced to temporarily close down during the pandemic earlier this year. Some areas of the country are now heading right back into that lockdown state. The forced temporary closures lead to a significant increase in demand for Shopify’s e-commerce products.

The tech company is a one-stop shop for digitizing brick-and-mortal retail stores. Shopify can help customers with website development, shipping logistics, and payment processing, to name a few examples.

It may be hard for Shopify to top a quarter where it grew revenue by 97%. But with social-distancing policies still being enforced in many parts of the company, I’ll be very curious to see what type of growth the company reports during the upcoming quarterly presentation. 

Lightspeed stock

Lightspeed is nowhere near the same sizes as Shopify. The Montreal-headquartered company is valued at a market cap of just $5 billion.

Similar to Shopify, Lightspeed has spent the last several years reinvesting aggressively into the business. The company is focused on building a long list of product offerings to try and own as much of the e-commerce ecosystem as possible.

Not so long ago, Lightspeed was known mainly as a point-of-sale hardware provider. The company would provide payment hardware to brick-and-mortar retailers, so they could accept debit and credit cards from their customers.

Fast forward to today, and Lightspeed has built a very impressive list of product offerings. The company also recently introduced an e-commerce software solution, going head to head with the much larger Shopify platform.

Lightspeed went on the offensive during the pandemic, offering new customers a three-month free trial to the company’s e-commerce software solution. Now that many of those three-month free trials are finished, I’ll be looking for management to comment in the upcoming quarterly report on the results that came from the free trial offerings.

You can’t ignore the valuation

As mentioned earlier, both of these growth stocks are far from cheap. Shopify trades at a very frothy price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 80, while Lightspeed is trading at a P/S ratio of 20.

It’s worth noting, though, that Shopify has looked expensive for years. But that hasn’t stopped the stock from exploding. 

The high valuation means that investors should be ready to experience potentially high levels of volatility in the short term. In the long term, though, I believe both of the companies will continue to crush the returns of the Canadian market.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium service or advisor. We’re Motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer, so we sometimes publish articles that may not be in line with recommendations, rankings or other content.

Fool contributor Nicholas Dobroruka owns shares of Lightspeed POS Inc and Shopify. Tom Gardner owns shares of Shopify. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Shopify and Shopify. The Motley Fool owns shares of Lightspeed POS Inc.

More on Tech Stocks

man in suit looks at a computer with an anxious expression
Tech Stocks

Short-Selling on the TSX: The Stocks Investors Are Betting Against

High-risk investors engage in short-selling, betting against some TSX stocks for bigger profits.

Read more »

Tech Stocks

2025 Could Be a Breakthrough Year for Shopify Stock: Here’s Why

Shopify (TSX:SHOP) stock could have room to breakout in the new year as it doubles down on AI tech.

Read more »

A worker uses a laptop inside a restaurant.
Tech Stocks

This E-Commerce Stock Could Be a Better Growth Play Than Amazon

Let's dive into a rather intriguing thesis that Shopify (TSX:SHOP) could be a better growth stock than Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) from…

Read more »

Person uses a tablet in a blurred warehouse as background
Tech Stocks

2 Canadian AI Stocks Poised for Significant Gains

Here are two top AI stocks long-term investors may want to consider before the end of the year.

Read more »

woman looks at iPhone
Dividend Stocks

Retirees: Is TELUS Stock a Risky Buy?

TELUS stock has long been a strong dividend provider, but what should investors consider now after recent earnings?

Read more »

Car, EV, electric vehicle
Tech Stocks

Better Electric Vehicle (EV) Stock: Magna International vs. Rivian

Rivian (NASDAQ:RIVN) is growing quickly, but Magna International (TSX:MG) is more profitable.

Read more »

Canadian Dollars bills
Tech Stocks

Invest $30,000 in 2 TSX Stocks, Create $9,265.20 in Passive Income

If you're only going to invest in two TSX stocks, invest in these top choices that have billionaires backing them…

Read more »

Start line on the highway
Tech Stocks

3 Beginner-Friendly Stocks Perfect for Canadians Starting Out Now

Are you new to investing in the stock market? Here are three Canadian companies that are perfect to get you…

Read more »