How I approach growth

My approach to growth is simple.

First, I'm looking for predictable stocks via Value Line. If a stock has a weak predictability (under 75% for instance), I usually look elsewhere. There's a few exceptions to that rule, but I usually respect it.

Then, the projected growth. I usually use Yahoo Finance for that metric. 

I'm looking for stocks with an estimated growth of at least 10% per year for the next 5 years. Actually, I'm mostly inclined towards stocks with an estimated growth around 15% per year.

How come should we believe that estimated growth? By looking at the growth for the last 5 years. I know it's absolutely not scientific, but it shows us the trend. If the annual growth over the last 5 years has been 5% per year and the estimated annual growth for the next 5 years is around 15%, I usually don't believe it. It means that the stock will do three times better in the near future than what it did in the recent past. It's possible, but highly improbable. 

I prefer stocks with a past growth close to future growth. And if the predictability on Value Line is high, it's fairly probable that the estimated growth will happen. 

Of course, it's a quick explanation of how I work. There's some details missings, but it's close to my mental path. 

That's why I don't buy stocks like Amazon (very high growth but very low predictability) and why I buy stocks like Google (good growth and very high predictability).