One of the world's best large-cap investors calls these 3 companies some of his top bets - because he thinks they'll grow profits twice as fast as the broader market

• Ken Stuzin sets sets a high bar for mutual fund investments. He only bets on companies that will consistently double the earnings growth of the broader market.
• That approach has helped him in good times and bad. His fund has outperformed during the coronavirus-linked sell-off, and it also ranks as one of the best in the world over the last five years.
• Stuzin told Business Insider about three current top picks that he believes will keep the fund at the top because of their strong growth - even if the stocks have pulled off big rallies in recent years.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The market chaos of the last few weeks has tested investors. But Ken Stuzin can say his strategy worked the way it was supposed to.

For the last 21 years Stuzin has managed the Brown Advisory Growth Equity Fund, which Kiplinger ranks as one of the 10 best large-cap mutual funds. It's maintained that status for one-, three-, and five-year periods. Despite its focus on growth stocks, it held up well in the turmoil of the last month, beating 97% of its peers over the month ended March 3.

Stuzin says that's because he's looking for companies that are going to consistently and emphatically earn more than the rest of the market.

"We're looking for business models that can reasonably support a 14% or better EPS growth rate through the full market cycle," he told Business Insider in an exclusive interview. "The reason that 14 is the number is that 14 is double the long term EPS growth rate of the S&P 500. And we did that to signal to people that our view and definition of growth was not wildly flexible."

The results of that rule is a portfolio concentrated in 33 stocks. While Stuzin always intends to stick with his investments for the long term, he says "the law of large numbers" is an issue. Eventually, companies that are still very successful by other measures can't maintain the growth rate he demands.

Even among that elite group, Stuzin says the three listed below stand out, even if they've enjoyed strong performance in recent years.

(1) DexCom

DexCom, which makes devices for diabetes patients that continuously monitor their blood sugar levels, has skyrocketed more than 2,800% over the last decade. Stuzin thinks it's set up for more long-term dominance because its products could change the way diabetes patients manage their illness.

"(It) makes the treatment of the disease incredibly simple" compared to older products like finger-stick tests, he said. But making a better healthcare product is only part of the battle," Stuzin said.

He adds that it could also slash the cost of treating diabetes, and that's a critical issue for people and also for employers, insurers, and governments.

"We're spending a hundred billion or more every year in treating Type 1 diabetes, and that doesn't even count people with severe forms of Type 2 diabetes who ought to be more actively managing insulin," he said. "If you're not bending the cost curve, particularly for the US marketplace, then you're not really a viable investment."

(2) Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts has underperformed the broader stock market over the last few years, but Stuzin says it has stronger game franchises than any of its peers. He highlights its FIFA soccer games as especially critical.

That's because he believes international soccer has caught on in an unprecedented way with young people in the world's two largest economic powers.

"If you think globally about how young people think about soccer in two very big markets, one in China and one in the United States, there's a lot of growth there," he said. "That to me has a terrific long-term growth potential."

He adds that EA might also benefit from the fear surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, which could prompt people to change their entertainment habits.

"If you're worried about people not leaving their house for the next six months around the world, being able to download games on Electronic Arts is a good fundamental business," he said.

(3) Zoetis

Stuzin says he's bearish on biotech and pharmaceutical companies, partly because of the lingering threat of regulation that will affect drug prices. He says the only exception to that rule is animal medication maker Zoetis, which has outperformed since it split from former parent Pfizer in 2013.

He explains that there are two parallel trends that should keep the company's sales and earnings far ahead of the market in the years ahead. One is growing demand for meat in emerging market nations like China, which will encourage greater use of antibiotics in livestock. The other involves peoples' furry friends at home.

"People are getting married later, having children later, and dogs and cats, mostly dogs, are making up for that sort of lack of companionship," he said. "We in the United States, and increasingly around the world, are willing to spend a huge amount of money to keep our canine friends healthy."