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5 Top Growth Stocks to Buy for a Post COVID-19 Economic Boom

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The coronavirus outbreak disrupted economic growth in the United States for most part of last year, squeezing corporate profits and bankrupting several organizations. But things are certainly looking up this year, thanks to the breakthrough in the coronavirus vaccine front in the latter half of 2020. Most importantly, the rollout of the much-anticipated vaccine has now gathered steam, while the rise in coronavirus cases is certainly ebbing.

Needless to say, trillions of dollars in federal aid perk up the economy, which many had feared to have been headed for recession last spring. In fact, President Biden is widely expected to implement as early as possible the promised $1.9-trillion stimulus package to jump-start the economy. The aid is aimed at improving the finances of households and will also benefit small business organizations that were pretty badly bruised by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, households have saved up a lot mostly due to the lockdown-led savings made last year and an array of stimulus payments. Now, with the economy gradually reopening, consumers are certainly expected to splurge, thereby boosting economic growth.

By the way, there are signs of rising spending by consumers and the economy has turned a corner. After all, sales at U.S. retailers improved in January for the first time since September. Per the Commerce Department, retail sales jumped 5.3% after a drop of 1% in December, as mentioned in a livemint article.

Notably, the latest $600 stimulus checks improved outlays across all major retail categories. What’s more, consumers are expected to spend more in the days ahead and perk up the economy since the Biden administration is likely to provide $1400 stimulus checks predominantly to lower-income workers (read more: 2021 Has Been Good to Retail So Far: 5 Top Picks).

But skeptics continue to remain pessimistic due to the sluggish jobs market. However, both the manufacturing and service side of the economy have shown considerable improvement so far this year, a tell-tale sign that job additions will eventually improve and drive wages. The gradual reopening of businesses and solid consumer demand for factory products provided strength to the manufacturing sector last month (read more: US Manufacturing Remains a Bright Side in Early 2021: 5 Picks).

Similarly, the beleaguered service sector has now started to return back to normal, with demand for new orders picking up and service providers continuing to demonstrate an adequate amount of confidence about the future business outlook (read more: Things Perk Up for Service Side of the US Economy: 5 Picks).

Notably, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) now expects the U.S. economy to grow much faster, with GDP returning back to pre-pandemic levels by the middle of this year. Congressional aid for both households and businesses is expected to boost the economy. The CBO said that the U.S. economy will expand “rapidly” in the near term and real GDP will grow 3.7% in 2021, as quoted from a CNBC article.

Thus, from an investment standpoint, the stock market’s performance is directly related to economic growth. And with the economic growth expected to only improve from here, stocks are poised to climb as well. We have, thus, selected five solid growth stocks that should make meaningful additions for your portfolio now. These stocks flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and a Growth Score of A or B.

Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved 10.9% north over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 36.3%.

AGCO Corporation (AGCO - Free Report) is a leading manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment and related replacement parts. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has climbed 18.3% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is almost 30%.

Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT - Free Report) operates as a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has advanced 21.2% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current-quarter is 133.3%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (BZH - Free Report) designs, builds and sells single family homes. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen almost 14% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 16.4%.

Knowles Corporation (KN - Free Report) is a premier provider of advanced micro-acoustic, audio processing and precision device solutions, serving the mobile consumer electronics, communications, medical, defense, automotive and industrial markets. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 5.9% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 88.1%.

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