Forget SpaceX: 3 Stocks That Are Brilliant Buys Right Now

Space Exploration Technologies -- more commonly known as SpaceX -- is the latest hot company to go public, and investors are paying close attention to it. I understand the buzz around the stock, but there are several other investments that I think are better buys right now.

I have three of them, and each represents a different way to outperform SpaceX over the long haul.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Amazon: rapid profit growth

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is one of my top stock picks right now because it's undergoing huge expansion in one business segment. In 2026, management plans $200 billion in data center capital expenditures (capex). It has that money thanks to huge cash flows -- something SpaceX doesn't quite have. (For reference, SpaceX had $20.7 billion in capex during 2025.)

Once those data centers are built and monetized, Amazon will undergo huge profit growth because Amazon Web Services (AWS), its cloud computing wing, has much higher profit margins than its core e-commerce business. AWS made up 59% of operating profits in the first quarter. With that segment expected to undergo rapid growth in the near future and its high operating margin, profits are set to explode over the next few years.

It will likely outgrow SpaceX from this perspective, making it a great stock to buy instead.

2. Meta Platforms: valuation

SpaceX is a very expensive stock. In 2025, the business generated $20.7 billion in revenue, and if management could snap its fingers and instantly generate a 40% profit margin, that would result in earnings of $8.3 billion, at a $1.75 trillion market cap, which would value the stock at 210 times trailing earnings (that don't exist). That's a huge premium for a company that's newly public, and investors should consider some other values out there, like Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META).

Meta operates several social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. These generate plenty of advertising revenue and make it very profitable. However, the market doesn't give Meta much of a premium: It trades for 21 times trailing earnings and 18 times forward earnings.

META PE Ratio data by YCharts; PE = price to earnings.

During its last quarter, revenue rose at a 33% pace -- the same growth that SpaceX put up in 2025. For SpaceX to trade at the same price tag as Meta, it would need to maintain its hypothetical profit margin and grow its revenue 10 times from here. That's a huge ask, and makes me lean toward Meta's stock. With Meta trading for a far cheaper price tag, it makes more sense to invest in that SpaceX.

3. Nebius: revenue growth

If you're looking for a real rocket ship of a company, then Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS) is your ticket. While SpaceX grew at a respectable 33% pace in 2025, Nebius put it to shame. In the first quarter, revenue rose 684% year over year.

And the company is building data centers for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. It operates as an autonomous business that already has major clients, and it's backed by the titan in the AI industry, Nvidia. There is clearly a huge demand for these facilities, and Nebius aims to expand from $1.25 billion in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2025 to $7 billion to $9 billion by the end of 2026.

That's dramatic expansion, but Wall Street believes it won't just stop at the end of this year. Analysts expect 550% revenue growth in 2026 and 225% in 2027.

SpaceX is nowhere near those growth rates and really has no chance to match them based on its current size. I think Nebius has a much better chance to outperform it over the next few years, making it the better buy now.

Keithen Drury has positions in Amazon, Meta Platforms, Nebius Group, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.