Boost Your Returns in 2015 with These 5 Stocks

Stocks for 2015 No. 1: Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F)

Ford will benefit from major automotive industry growth in 2015.

According to a new forecast by TrueCar, U.S. sales of new cars and trucks will rise 2.6% to reach 17 million units in 2015. That’s the market’s biggest growth total since 2005. It also follows an impressive 2014 in which combined U.S. sales of new and used vehicles rose approximately 8.3% to $1.1 trillion.

The U.S. economy will also drive Ford stock. Analysts predict the economy will grow by at least 3% in 2015, after it was up 2.2% in 2014. Kiplinger’s magazine is predicting global growth of 3.2% this year as well.

Stocks for 2015 No. 2: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA)

Alibaba was the biggest IPO story of 2014, climbing 53% from its offer price through the end of the year.

But 2015 is looking like a huge year for the company, too, as it continues to expand internationally. At the time of the IPO, Founder Jack Ma said he plans on expanding further into the U.S. market. He wants Alibaba to be “bigger than Wal-Mart.”

According to Reuters, just 9% of Alibaba’s sales come from international markets. Focusing on the U.S. market would change that.

“Jack Ma impresses me,”. “He’s on a mission to form a global company. You’re going to start seeing more purchases across different industries and it’s going to look like a puzzle with all the companies he’s adding.”

Watch for the company to expand in 2015 and increase its already strong revenue figures. In its last earnings report Alibaba had revenue $2.64 billion, up 54% year-over-year.

“I think Alibaba is going to see $3 per share in earnings next year, much higher than the $2.20 analysts now expect on average”.

Stocks for 2015 No. 3: Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)

Apple stock offers huge upside in 2015, even after it gained 38% in 2014.

Apple is set up for record profits this year. Sales of the iPhone 6 show no signs of letting up, and the company has a completely new product category on the horizon in the Apple Watch. It also has enough cash – $155 billion as of Sept. 30 – to finance its visionary strategy for years to come.

Most signs point to the Apple Watch arriving in spring 2015, and sales should be huge. Analyst sales estimates vary widely, between 10 million units and 30 million units in the year. At a starting price of $349, we estimate the Apple Watch will add at least $4.5 billion in new revenue.

Stocks for 2015 No. 4: Ambarella Inc. (Nasdaq: AMBA)

Ambarella was first recommended on Aug. 2, 2013, and since then it’s up 270%. And this stock has room to double again.

Ambarella is riding the wave of wearable technology. The company’s products are used in GoPro Inc.’s (Nasdaq: GPRO) Hero cameras. By 2019, BI Intelligence estimates that 148 million wearable-tech products will be sold globally. AMBA also has its chips in the backup and dashboard cameras in vehicles. In 2018, the U.S. government will begin mandating these cameras in all new cars.

Ambarella has beaten earnings estimates by an average of 28.5% in the last four quarters. Next quarter, Ambarella is expected to report earnings growth of 88.4% from last year. Analysts predict revenue will jump 34.9% in 2015.

Over the last three years, AMBA has had average annual sales growth of 27%. In its last quarter, sales were up 43%.

AMBA stock opened today at $52 and is up 75% in the last 12 months.

Stocks for 2015 No. 5: Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLK)

XLK is an exchange-traded fund that covers a wide swatch of technology, mostly U.S. leaders.

“With more than 70 stocks in its portfolio, the fund offers investors the chance to specialize in high tech,” Robinson said. “It’s also diversified across multiple sectors, including Internet services and software, information technology consulting, semiconductors, computers, peripherals, wireless services, and cybersecurity.”

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) is the fund’s biggest holding at 16.3%. In the last 12 months, AAPL has gained 39.5%. Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB), and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) are all major holdings as well.

In the last 12 months, XLK has gained 14%. It also yields 1.8%.