Bitcoin (BTC -0.46%) and many other cryptocurrencies have soared to new all-time highs in recent weeks. Looking for under-the-radar crypto investments with high growth potential? Start your research with my handpicked list of cryptocurrencies.

1. Solana

Ethereum competitor Solana (SOL 2.74%) is a bit more centralized, focusing more on high-speed, low-cost transactions. The upside to more centralization is that Solana can handle up to 65,000 transactions per second while Ethereum is typically limited to around 119 transactions per second. Solana’s feeds are also lower, especially during periods of high network congestion.

These advantages have attracted many projects to Solana’s architecture, but not as many as on Ethereum’s. But those who believe Solana’s hybrid approach will be superior long term have a strong investment case. Investors should track network usage and the size of Solana’s developer community to gauge the project’s success over the long term.

2. Ripple

While its price has been volatile in the past, XRP (XRP -3.22%) has done incredibly well this year, rising in value by more than 40%. Bulls believe that XRP, also known as Ripple, could eventually replace much of the global financial system, allowing banks to perform cross-border transactions faster, cheaper, and more transparently than current solutions.

The total addressable market for Ripple is about $200 trillion. That’s the total annual value of cross border transactions. Ripple wouldn’t collect that much revenue, skimming a very small fee off these massive transaction volumes. Even so, the coin is looking at a huge long-term opportunity.

Of course, there’s a long way to go before Ripple established widespread institutional buy-in for its technology. But when it comes to under the radar projects with truly large long term potential, Ripple tops the list.

3. Tron

Tron (TRX -1.10%) is currently one of the top 10 crypto projects in the world by market cap. The network is geared toward stablecoin and DeFi transactions, making it a viable investment for investors bullish on those two categories. Its network uses a delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism — an arguably more efficient system than proof-of-work or traditional proof-of-stake systems on their own.

Tron’s founder, Justin Sun, often makes the headlines with a variety of publicity efforts. But he’s a bona fide crypto veteran. He’s associated with other notable projects including BitTorrent, Poloniex, and Huobi.

Source: Getty Images

4. Hedera

With a $10 billion market cap, Hedera (HBAR -7.03%) is focused on real-world application development by large corporations. Companies like Boeing and IBM are already testing its architecture. Hedera’s focus on security better allows for enterprise adoption versus more decentralized networks. Its unique directed acyclic graph (DAG) mechanism allows the network to achieve consensus without mining — a key differentiator that few other projects can match.

5. Litecoin

Founded in 2011, Litecoin (LTC -3.13%) is one of the longest-tenured crypto projects. You can think of this project as a Bitcoin replica with faster block times and a different encryption algoritm. The network’s transactions are about four times faster than Bitcoin. Investors have long associated Litecoin as crypto “silver”, with Bitcoin being crypto “gold”. Litecoin isn’t as innovative as Tron or Hedera, but it’s a crypto classic that should still be around for decades to come.

6. Monero

One of the best-known privacy coins, Monero (XMR 0.21%) promised unmatched privacy features with a strong developer community. Its value has more than doubled over the past 12 months alone. The network uses advanced cryptographic techniques like ring signatures and stealth addresses, making it a great fit for users that prioritize privacy and censorship avoidance. Interested investors should also check out other privacy coins including Zcash, Dash, and Secret.

Wolfspeed (WOLF -15.09%) managed to close out the past week of trading with double-digit gains despite big sell-offs in the second half of the stretch. The company’s share price climbed 12.3% from the previous week’s market close.

Wolfspeed’s valuation received a massive boost at the beginning of this week, after the company announced it had named Gregor van Issum as its next chief financial officer. The news kicked off a huge rally that saw the stock more than double across Monday and Tuesday’s trading, but the share price surge lost steam and gave way to a big pullback later in the week.

Image source: Getty Images.

Wolfspeed stock saw incredible volatility this week

Wolfspeed published a press release Monday morning announcing that van Issum will take over as the company’s next CFO on Sept. 1. Wolfspeed announced that it had submitted preliminary filings for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections at the end of June, and its new CFO will play a leading role in guiding these proceedings. Van Issum’s background suggests that he is a good pick to handle the company’s bankruptcy proceedings and big corporate restructuring, but the gains for the stock at the beginning of the week seem to have been a significant overreaction to the news.

Companies that have announced bankruptcy proceedings can sometimes see incredible valuation surges on relatively minor news and then see big stock corrections in subsequent trading. This dynamic appears to have played out for the silicon-carbide specialist in the second half of this week’s trading, but the stock still wound up solidly in the green across the stretch.

What’s next for Wolfspeed stock?

While it’s possible that Wolfspeed could see more big valuation rallies in the near term, investing in the stock right now would be incredibly risky. Because the company is in the bankruptcy process, its stock will probably be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Shares would then shift to trading through the over-the-counter (OTC) markets, but delisting from the NYSE would likely trigger big sell-offs. Meanwhile, investors who plan on holding on to their current shares of the company’s common stock through the end of the bankruptcy and restructuring process will receive only between 3% and 5% of the value of the new corporate entity that will be created.

Some companies do an incredible job of paying dividends. Realty Income (O -0.05%) is one such company. The real estate investment trust (REIT) recently delivered its 131st dividend increase to its investors since its public market listing in 1994. It’s the REIT’s fourth dividend increase already this year.

With one of the most bankable high-yielding monthly dividends around, Realty Income is an ideal stock to buy and hold for passive income.

Image source: Getty Images.

Putting even more income into investors’ pockets

Realty Income recently declared its latest monthly dividend payment. The REIT will pay investors $0.269 per share in mid-July to those who own the stock by the first of next month. That raises its annualized dividend rate to $3.228 per share, which is a more than 5.5% yield at its recent stock price. The payout is 0.2% higher than its last payment and 2.3% above the year-ago level.

The REIT’s most recent raise is its 131st since coming public. It also extends the company’s growth streak to 111 quarters in a row. Realty Income has increased its dividend in all 30 years since its public market listing.

Data source: Realty Income.

CEO Sumit Roy commented on Realty Income’s latest dividend declaration in a press release. He stated, “The quality and diversification of Realty Income’s portfolio allows us to provide investors reliable monthly dividends that increase over time.” The CEO also remarked, “During times of market uncertainty, Realty Income remains committed to delivering investors predictable income streams.”

Showing no signs of stopping

Realty Income should have no problem continuing to increase its dividend in the future. Driving that view is the strong foundation the company has built over the years.

The bedrock is its high-quality real estate portfolio. Realty Income owns a diversified portfolio of over 15,600 retail, industrial, gaming, and other properties net leased to many of the world’s leading companies. Notable tenants include 7-Eleven, Dollar General, FedEx, Home Depot, and Walmart. Its focus on investing in properties secured by long-term net leases enables the REIT to generate very predictable cash flow because tenants cover all property operating expenses, including routine maintenance, real estate taxes, and building insurance.

Realty Income pays out a conservative percentage of its stable cash flow in dividends — 75% of its adjusted funds from operations (FFO) in the first quarter. That gives it a comfortable cushion while allowing it to retain meaningful excess free cash flow to invest in more income-generating properties each year. It produced nearly $238 million in adjusted FFO after dividends in the first quarter of this year.

The REIT also has a fortress balance sheet. It’s one of only 10 REITs in the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.13%) with two bond ratings of A3/A- or higher. Realty Income’s excellent credit provides it with lower borrowing costs to fund new investments.

Realty Income’s diversification helps lower its risk profile while enhancing its growth prospects. The company estimates that the total addressable market for net lease real estate is $5.5 trillion in the U.S. and $8.5 trillion in Europe. The REIT has been steadily growing its opportunity set by expanding into new property verticals. It recently added U.S. gaming ($400 billion) and U.S. data centers ($500 billion) to its portfolio.

The company has also expanded into additional European markets, added a credit investment platform, and is launching a private capital fund in the U.S. Its growing diversification has further expanded its already massive growth runway.

An incredible passive income investment

Realty Income continues to steadily increase its already attractive monthly dividend payment. The REIT backs its payout with a high-quality real estate portfolio and top-notch financial profile. Add in its massive growth runway, and the REIT’s dividend should remain unstoppable. Because of that, it’s an ideal stock to buy and hold for a lifetime of passive dividend income.