Amid last year's difficult market, you may not have put all of your investable money to work -- in which case, you might have cash sitting on the sidelines. This would be the perfect time to deploy it. Some stocks already have momentum and could climb higher, so you could benefit from near-term and long-term gains. Elsewhere, there are quality players that just haven't yet taken off -- stocks you can scoop up at bargain levels now and possibly win from down the road.

The market is ripe with both sorts of stocks. But right now, let's focus on two: a healthcare player that is set for a new phase of growth, and a top dividend payer in the food and beverage space with brand strength that should keep its earnings steadily climbing.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) is the leader in cystic fibrosis treatments. And this leadership has brought it billions of dollars in annual earnings. The company has the portfolio and pipeline to maintain its position at least through the late 2030s. This already sounds good -- but things are about to get even better.

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Source Fool.com