Got $1,000? 5 Stocks to Buy Now While They're On Sale

Key Points

• Amazon and Alibaba are two stocks with solid retail and AI operations.

• E.l.f. Beauty just made a transformative acquisition with Rhode.

• Cava has one of the biggest expansion opportunties in the restaurant space.

• 10 stocks we like better than Amazon ›

Some of the best growth stocks are in the consumer space, and with tariffs still very much front and center, many of these stocks remain well off their highs. Nibbling on these names, say with an initial $1,000 investment, can be a good place to start.

Let's look at five consumer-focused stocks to buy now while they're still on sale. These are all solid companies with a lot of potential growth still in front of them.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Amazon

While Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has rallied from its lows, the stock is still off its highs and attractively valued from a historical perspective. And if there were thoughts that tariffs were slowing consumer spending, the company just announced its largest ever Prime Day sales event. Expanded to four days, the company generated $24.1 billion in sales, according to Adobe Analytics. That's more than double the sales it saw last Black Friday.

While Amazon showed it still has what it takes to drive retail sales, what's most exciting about the company is what is going on behind the scenes. Years of investment in logistics, automation, robots, and artificial intelligence (AI) are paying off, and making operations even more efficient. This is leading to cost savings and strong operating leverage.

In addition, Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the market-share leader in cloud computing, where customers are using its services to build and deploy their own AI models and tools. It's also developed its own custom chips for training and inference, which gives it both performance and cost advantages.

For long-term investors, Amazon is a great stock to own.

2. Alibaba

Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) is a stock that remains on sale. It trades at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of just 11 times and has more than 30% of its market cap in cash and investments. The stock is not just cheap, but it's executing on multiple fronts.

Its cloud business has now seen AI-related revenue more than double for seven consecutive quarters. Meanwhile, Apple's decision to use Alibaba's Qwen model to power Apple Intelligence in China could be a solid growth driver.

The company's e-commerce business has also seen a solid turnaround. Alibaba invested to grow Taobao and Tmall's gross merchandise value, and now it's better monetizing its platforms through new software fees and AI tools. It's also just started with new initiatives to help further drive growth, including offering one-hour delivery and embedding shoppable Taobao links in posts on the popular Chinese Rednote app. In addition, the company continues to grow and scale out its international e-commerce segment, and it expects it to turn profitable soon.

Alibaba is still in the midst of its turnaround story, and at its current valuation there's a lot of upside if it continues to execute.

3. E.l.f. Beauty

A sudden slowdown in growth last quarter has put e.l.f. Beauty's (NYSE: ELF) stock on the sales rack. However, its pending acquisition of Rhode looks like it could be transformative. E.l.f. has already been one of the biggest winners in the mass-market cosmetics space, and now it's adding a fast-growing premium brand to its portfolio.

Rhode generated $212 million in sales over the past year with barely any paid marketing, a limited product lineup, and selling only through its website. That's impressive.

Rhode was already set to enter Sephora stores, and now e.l.f. will have the opportunity to plug Rhode into its existing retail relationships, including those with Ulta Beauty and Target, while ramping up product development and marketing. Hailey Bieber remains onboard as chief creative officer, which should help maintain brand momentum as the product line expands.

The strategy is smart. Premium skincare brands such as Rhode are simply going to have better margins than mass-market color cosmetics. This is a big opportunity for the company going forward and a reason to own the stock long term.

4. JAKKS Pacific

Toy company JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK) has quietly become one of the best turnaround stories in consumer products. Under CFO John Kimble -- formerly of Mattel and Disney -- the company has streamlined operations, improved operating margins, and returned to consistent profitability. Shares are up more than 200% over the past five years, but down 30% this year on tariff worries. The result is that the stock trades at just 8.5 times 2025 analyst earnings per share estimates and 6 times the 2026 consensus.

And it's not like the company is struggling. Sales jumped 26% in Q1, fueled by licensed products tied to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Disney's Moana 2. That momentum should continue with toy and costume launches tied to Dog Man, Minecraft, and Paw Patrol. A weak kids' movie calendar hurt last year, but that headwind has flipped.

JAKKS is also making smart moves outside of toys and costumes. It signed a deal with Authentic Brands to create not only toys but also seasonal outdoor products tied to lifestyle brands like Roxy, Quiksilver, and Juicy Couture. This could help diversify revenue and reduce the company's seasonality.

With strong licensing, operational discipline, and a rock-solid balance sheet (zero debt), JAKKS is a cash-generating small-cap that still looks mispriced.

5. Cava Group

Despite its strong results over the past year, Cava Group (NYSE: CAVA) stock is down nearly 50% off its highs, giving investors a solid entry point. The restaurant operator is doing for Mediterranean food what Chipotle did for Tex-Mex -- building a fast-casual empire. Same-store sales have now climbed double-digits for four straight quarters, and last quarter's 10.8% comp was driven mostly by traffic gains.

Newer menu items like fresh juices and grilled steak are lifting average tickets, while its loyalty program is helping bring guests back. With fresh, fast, customizable, and healthy food, Cava has all the right ingredients to be the next Chipotle.

The big story, though, is still store expansion. With fewer than 400 locations at the end of Q1 and a target of 1,000 by 2032, Cava has a long growth runway. It's expanded from the coasts into the Midwest, opening in Chicago and Detroit, and early results look strong.

Given the growth in front of it, Cava is a stock to own over the long haul.

Should you invest $1,000 in Amazon right now?

Before you buy stock in Amazon, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Amazon wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $674,281!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,050,415!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,058% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 179% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of July 15, 2025

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Geoffrey Seiler has positions in JAKKS Pacific and e.l.f. Beauty. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walt Disney, and e.l.f. Beauty. The Motley Fool recommends Alibaba Group and Cava Group and recommends the following options: short June 2025 $55 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.