The economic ramifications of the pandemic drove companies to pivot to digital business models and simultaneously cut back on permanent, office-based workforces. Freelancers were integral to this shift and the global economy’s ability to go online seamlessly across nearly every business sector from health to media.
Visual Capitalist looked at the 20 top stocks of 2020 by price return (% change), and earnings per share (EPS), an indicator of a company’s profitability. One stock’s growth was all thanks to freelancers.
Ranked second, just shy of Tesla’s number one spot, was Fiverr, the international freelancer platform.
EPS is calculated by dividing a company’s profit by its outstanding shares of common stock. The higher an EPS value, the more profitable a company is deemed.
Top ten stocks for growth in 2020
Tesla’s value surged in 2020, as it raked in 743.4% in returns—the highest of any stock, according to Investors Business Daily. In fact, it’s the only automaker to enter this list. Fiverr saw 730.2% in returns, however, its EPS in the third quarter was not as rosy as you can see in the chart below. Zoom, the online meeting platform, which is used by millions of freelancers and their clients, saw some stellar EPS figures and returns of 398.8%. Fit freelancers that hopped on their interactive Peloton exercise machines and also invested in the stock have had something to celebrate given the stock even returned more than Zoom.
| Rank | Company | Industry | % Change | EPS, Q3’2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tesla Inc | Other (Auto Manufacturer) | 743.4% | $0.27 |
| #2 | Fiverr International Ltd | Tech/Online (Retail) | 730.2% | -$0.01 |
| #3 | Twist Bioscience Corp | Medical (Biotech) | 572.8% | -$0.36 |
| #4 | Enphase Energy Inc | Other (Solar Energy | 571.5% | $0.28 |
| #5 | Peloton Interactive Cl A | Tech/Online (Leisure) | 434.2% | $0.20 |
| #6 | Moderna Inc | Medical (Biotech) | 434.1% | -$0.59 |
| #7 | Curevac N V | Medical (Biotech) | 406.7% | N/A |
| #8 | Sunrun Inc | Other (Solar Energy) | 402.4% | $0.28 |
| #9 | Zoom Video Comm Cl A | Tech/Online (Software) | 395.8% | $0.66 |
| #10 | Sea Limited Ads Cl A | Tech/Online (Retail, Leisure) | 394.9% | N/A |
2020 Price Return (% Change) values are from Investors Business Daily
EPS values come from Macrotrends, the latest data reported by all companies is from Q3’2020.
Methodology: All stocks on the list have an average daily trading volume of 100,000 shares or more and were priced at $12 or higher at the start of the year. Closed-end funds were excluded. Prices and other data shown are as of Dec. 31, 2020. N/A means that EPS data for that company was unavailable. To see other top-ranked stocks in the full report here.
Other stories you may find interesting:
- Facebook to launch freelancer and gig jobs platform – Freelance Informer
- Depop CEO makes career move to scale up freelancer economy – Freelance Informer
- China: Is it a good time for freelancers and SMEs to target the world’s fastest-growing market? – Freelance Informer
