A ranking of what today’s prices ask for, per year for ten years, next to what each company has actually delivered. Built from our 50 reverse-DCF articles.
The twelve highest asks
Each bar is the yearly growth in cash flow the current price needs for ten years. The amber marker is what the company delivered on its own measure. A marker to the left of the bar means the price asks for more than the past; to the right means it asks for less.
| Company | Price asks per year | What it has delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla | 42.0% | 5.5% (free cash flow, 5 yrs) |
| AMD | 41.6% | 20.3% (free cash flow, 5 yrs) |
| Palantir | 34–48% | 59.9% (free cash flow, 5 yrs) |
| CrowdStrike | 36.0% | 29.5% (free cash flow, 4 yrs; last year 16.3%) |
| TSMC | 28.5% | 34.2% (free cash flow, 5 yrs) |
| Nvidia | 28.2% | 83% (free cash flow, 5 yrs) |
| Amazon | 27.1% | Free cash flow shrank; revenue +11.1% |
| Alphabet | 26.3% | 2.3% (free cash flow, 5 yrs) |
| Palo Alto Networks | 26.0% | 25.8% (free cash flow, 4 yrs; last 12 months 9.3%) |
| ASML | 25.1% | 15.1% (revenue, 5 yrs; free cash flow 2.7%) |
| Broadcom | 25% | ~18% (free cash flow, 5 yrs) |
| Synopsys | 21.6% | -0.9% (free cash flow, 4 yrs) |
Reading the top of the list
- Asks far above the record. Tesla (42.0% vs. 5.5%) and AMD (41.6% vs. 20.3%) are the clearest cases: the price assumes a much bigger business than the numbers show today.
- Asks below a very high record. Nvidia (28.2% vs. 83%), Palantir and TSMC ask for less than they have done. Whether such a record can repeat at a larger size is the real question, not the arithmetic.
- Asks close to a slowing record. CrowdStrike asks for 36.0% after averaging 29.5%, but its most recent year was 16.3%.
Before you compare
The record is measured in the way that suits each company, mostly free cash flow but revenue, net income or AFFO for some, over four or five years. Acquisitions and unusual years distort several of them, and each article explains how. Treat this as a map of where to look, not a ranking of which stock is best. The method is on the methodology page, and the lowest asks are in the companion ranking.
Frequently asked questions
Which stock in this set asks for the most growth?
Tesla, at about 42% a year in free cash flow, followed by AMD (41.6%) and Palantir (34% to 48% depending on the base). Tesla’s own five-year record is 5.5%; AMD’s is 20.3%.
Does a high required growth rate mean a stock is expensive?
Not by itself. Nvidia asks for 28.2% a year but grew free cash flow 83% a year over five years. What matters is the gap between the ask and the record, and whether the record can repeat.
Figures come from each company’s reverse-DCF and snapshot articles and carry that article’s date. Not investment advice.