Originally published on Best Stocks Source: Getty ImagesToday the S&P500 opened the market at $4.008; the Dow Jones today trades at $32.223, and the Nasdaq reached $12.236. The latter was highly affected by Amazon’s poor earnings results, with PayPal stock forecast for the following 12 months set at $124.We have listed below the best stocks to buy now.Contents hide 1 Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM)1.1 Integration of Customer Data1.2 Mobile Access1.3 Self-service Tools and Automation1.4 Sales Enablement and Lead Nurturing2 Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST)2.1 Is UPST Stock A Good Investment?2.2 Why Investors Are Excited About Upstart Holdings, Inc.2.3 What Is Driving Upstart Holdings Inc Growth?2.4 Warning Signs For Potential Investors3 Marriott Internacional (NASDAQ:MAR)3.1 Marriott’s advantages3.2 Solid growth plans3.3 The bear case for Marriott stock3.4 Should you buy Marriott stock?4 IRobot(NASDAQ:IRBT)4.1 IRobot Stock Forecast4.2 iRobot is it a good investment?4.3 iRobot Company Profile4.4 Why Invest in IRBT Stock?Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM)Source: Getty ImagesAs a small business owner, you know that time is money, and any venture that can save you time while creating more profit is worth your investment. For example, Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) offers several advantages for businesses of all sizes. From a single user to enterprise-level implementation, Salesforce has a variety of packages from which companies can choose the features they need most. However, as with any software solution, there are pros and cons to investing in this technology. Here are some reasons why Salesforce is a worthwhile investment for your company:Integration of Customer DataOne of the most significant advantages of Salesforce is that it provides a centralized place for all of your company’s employees and anyone outside your organization who needs to track leads. Additionally, records on sales, service, marketing, and other activities are available from a single system. By keeping all this data in one place, you can view the current activities and past performance of sales, marketing, and service teams. That is helpful in many ways, including reducing the time needed to complete customer support requests. In addition, some research indicates that businesses that use Salesforce increase their customer satisfaction and retention rates by up to 30%. These statistics alone make the investment worth it.Mobile AccessAnother notable benefit of using Salesforce is that the system is mobile-friendly. That means you can access your files on the go and make changes and additions when you have the time, and the Wi-Fi signal is strong. That is a massive time-saver for small business owners who are constantly on the go and need to stay connected to their team and customers. The mobile app even allows you to view and edit data in real-time. That is helpful for teams that work together and need to be in constant contact.Self-service Tools and AutomationAnother reason Salesforce is a worthwhile investment for businesses is because it includes several self-service tools that allow users to perform their daily tasks on the system. That means you can give your team members access to records and tools they need to do their jobs without relying heavily on your IT team. Additionally, many modules integrate with other business applications. That allows you to automate manual processes and use the system to create alerts and notifications. You can even create workflows that automate specific tasks. That helps streamline your company’s actions and create a more efficient work environment.Sales Enablement and Lead NurturingAnother advantage of Salesforce is that it offers many features designed to help you nurture leads and close more sales. That can include features like lead scoring, which rates leads based on their likelihood of becoming customers. You can use this information to prioritize which leads to follow up with and when. Similarly, sales enablement tools allow you to create content for your salespeople that includes tips and best practices for closing more deals. This content can be accessed from any computer, including mobile phones, and can be updated by any user.Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST)Source: Getty ImagesUpstart Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UPST) soared on Wednesday while most stocks fell back. UPST’s after a solid first quarter, as the company posted a 161% year-over-year jump in its trailing 12 months of operating income. Upstart Holdings, Inc. is an online loan marketplace that connects potential borrowers with banks and other lending partners. The company has made a big splash since launching in 2015, raising almost $1 billion from investors like Alphabet’s venture capital arm and Spark Capital. So what’s stock higher? Its Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) continues to grow faster than its direct peers.Is UPST Stock A Good Investment?First, let’s look at some of the key metrics behind the stock. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) to report $120 million in revenues this year, which would represent a 50% jump from last year. Profit, meanwhile, is expected to soar by 70% to $62 million. For the moment, the market has placed a price tag of $1.8 billion on UPST. Although the company’s market cap is already relatively large, a robust business model can quickly expand valuation multiples over time. As a result, UPST stock is currently trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 29.9 and a price-to-book ratio of 7.1. These figures aren’t by any means, but they’re not unreasonable given the company’s potential.Why Investors Are Excited About Upstart Holdings, Inc.UPST’s business model goes after a massive market that most banks currently underserve. The company connects individuals with poor credit who would otherwise struggle to get a loan with banks that want to issue a small-scale loan for a high return. The risk of loaning money to a risky borrower is offset because Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) takes a percentage of the interest rate. This model is far more scalable than a typical payday lender, which makes it cheaper to operate and makes the company an attractive investment. That’s why shareholders are still excited about the company. If the company can achieve even a sliver of its full potential, it could quickly become a multi-billion-dollar business.What Is Driving Upstart Holdings Inc Growth?Upstart Holdings, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:UPST) growth is its ability to draw more customers to its platform. That is measured in the company’s “ion rate,” which” is the percentage of customers returning after using the platform. This number currently sits at 88%, an extremely high number, showing that the company is retaining many users. Furthermore, as customers keep coming back, they can get lower interest rates on their loans by building a track record on the platform. That is a virtuous cycle for UPST because customers will continue to use the service.Warning Signs For Potential InvestorsThe giant red flag surrounding Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPST) is the company’s share price. Yes, the company is increasing and is expected to maintain a strong growth rate. But the thing is, growth rates can’t go on forever. At some point, UPST is going to reach a point of saturation. Then, its growth rate will slow down as it gets a more extensive customer base. So investors need to be aware that this will happen at some point and that growth rates will taper off.Marriott Internacional (NASDAQ:MAR)Source: Getty ImagesMarriott International’s (NASDAQ:MAR) stock has been up more than 23% in the past month. The hotel operator’s earnings report was strong, and management has a clear plan to improve ROIC and drive growth. But does this one-time pop mean you should buy Marriott stock? The bull case for Marriott stock is simple: Under new CEO Arne Sorensen, the company has exited unprofitable businesses, cut costs to improve its EBITDA margin, and invested in brands with higher growth potential, divesting those that have less potential. As a result, net debt has fallen from $3 billion to less than $1 billion while adjusted EPS grew significantly.With that out of the way, analysts think investing in Marriott right now could be a good idea. Marriott International is the world’s largest hotel company and second-largest lodging operator, with more than 721 hotels and more than 619,000 rooms in more than 100 countries. Marriott International hotels include some of the world’s most recognized brands, including JW Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts, EDITION Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Aloft Hotels, Protea Hotels Africa, and AC Hotels. A look at what makes Marriott such a successful lodging operator and its plans for future growth.Marriott’s advantagesThe hotel industry is highly fragmented, but Marriott has become the largest hotel operator, thanks to several competitive advantages. One of Marriott’s advantages is its brand. Marriott has several well-known and trusted brands, including Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, and Autograph Collection, that attract business and premium leisure travelers. Marriott also has a solid international presence, with hotels in more than 100 countries across the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. Due to its more extensive scale and industry-leading IT systems. The company’s realized IT architecture allows all Marriott entities to benefit from the group’s practices and cost savings. In addition, Marriott operates a single reservations system that serves all its hotel brands, enabling the company to generate more revenue since it can cross-sell more rooms and generate more commissions.Solid growth plansMarriott’s earnings report—which included a 26% increase in EPS—shows that the company’s round efforts are paying off. Management has guided FY22 EPS between $3.80 and $3.90, up from $3.15 in FY21. Meanwhile, the company’s operating margin has improved from less than 33% in 2019 to over 36% in the first nine months of FY21. As a result, Marriott expects to achieve a 40% EBITDA margin by FY22. Meanwhile, the company expects net revenue per available room (RevPAR) to grow 2% to 4% this year to $98.50, up from $96.16 in FY21. The company’s outlook shows that Marriott is well-positioned for growth thanks to a renewed focus on core business.The bear case for Marriott stockMarriott’s stock performance has raised a few red flags. As we mentioned above, Marriott’s fell from $3 billion to less than $1 billion. Marriott’s equity ratio was 0.95 in Q4FY19. Some say this is positive, but others worry that it could indicate that Marriott is over-leveraging itself. The company’s to-free cash flow ratio is 4.9. Marriott will have to use around 5% of its cash flow to pay down its debt. That is high for an investment-grade company, but it’s manageable if the company continues to grow.Should you buy Marriott stock?Marriott’s earnings report shows that the company is paying off. The company has a strong brand, a loyal customer base, and consistent revenue, which puts Marriott in a strong position for growth. With that said, Marriott’s valuation of around 24.5 times earnings is higher than the industry average of 19 earnings. That means that Marriott could be due for a correction. Marriott’s business fundamentals remain intact, and its recent earnings report shows that the company is paying off. Marriott has a loyal customer base, a strong brand, and consistent revenue, putting the company in a strong position for growth. Marriott’s valuation is due to its strong performance, making the stock a good investment.IRobot(NASDAQ:IRBT)Source: Getty ImagesiRobot Corporation (NASDAQ:IRBT) might not be a well-known name like Amazon or Alphabet, but the maker of home cleaning robots is poised to take advantage of the growing demand for smart homes. iRobot has more than tripled its stock in just one year, and investors could see more gains. The company recently released fourth-quarter earnings that showed accelerating growth in its Home Robots segment. IRobot Stock ForecastAnalysts expect iRobot Co. (NASDAQ:IRBT) to generate ($1.59) EPS for the current quarter. The highest EPS estimate for iRobot is ($1.53), and the lowest is ($1.72). iRobot earned $0.27 per share in the same period last year, a 688.9% decline. Analysts predict iRobot will make $1.76 per share for the current fiscal year, ranging from $1.67 to $1.82. In addition, analysts expect the firm will earn $2.95 per share next year, with forecasts ranging from $2.45 to $3.67. Zacks’ EPS estimations are based on a survey of iRobot-covering sell-side research firms.iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT) reported earnings on May 4. The industrial goods company’s ($0.87) EPS topped analysts’ ($1.55) projections by $0.68. The company’s quarterly sales were $291.97 million, compared to the $302.46 million expected. iRobot’s ROE was 1.45%, and its net margin was 0.4%. iRobot’s quarterly sales fell 3.7% year-over-year. The company earned $0.23 EPS the year before.iRobot is it a good investment?iRobot shares fell 20.1 percent in April, compared to an 8.8 percent drop in the S&P 500. In February, the robot-vacuum maker said that almost $35 million worth of orders were unfulfilled owing to shortages of semiconductors and shipment delays. In May, iRobot reported first-quarter revenues that fell well short of projections. Sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia fell by 44 percent. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict was blamed for weakening customer trust. In addition, supply chain concerns are expected to hurt the company’s performance in the first half of the year. iRobot’s innovative and time-saving solutions should experience an increase in demand in the long term. A volatile stock market and investing in stocks inherently come with risk. However, that doesn’t mean you should steer clear of the stock market forever. Savvy investors can use stock market fluctuations to their advantage. iRobot Company ProfileiRobot was founded in 1990 by three MIT engineers who wanted to build robots that would allow humans to do dangerous or tedious tasks without needing to be there in person. iRobot’s first product was a robotic arm called the Handy, which NASA engineers used to clean up debris after the Challenger space shuttle disaster. iRobot has expanded into other markets, including defense, security, healthcare, and consumer products. The company’s products include robot vacuums, lawnmowers, pool cleaning robots, and autonomous security robots. The company has done well in recent years and has a strong outlook for the future. iRobot’s most popular product is the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, which uses a spinning brush to pick up dirt from carpets. iRobot also makes the Roomba line for pets and the Scooba line of floor-cleaning robots. In addition, the company offers an autonomous security robot designed for home use and commercial products for pool cleaning, mail sorting, and other applications.Why Invest in IRBT Stock?iRobot has a long history of making smart investments in the R&D department. The company has successfully released several ground-breaking products that have revolutionized the way people clean their homes. iRobot’s flagship product is the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner, which has sold over 25 million units worldwide. The company also manufactures a range of other household robots, including pool cleaning, floor cleaning, and lawn mowing robots. iRobot’s strong product portfolio and focus on research and development make it an attractive investment opportunity. The company’s autonomous security robots are well-positioned to capitalize on the growth of the home security automation market, which is expected to grow more than tenfold over the next decade. iRobot’s other products, such as the Scooba floor cleaner and the pool cleaning robots, are also poised to benefit from the home robotics market growth.