After covering market ideas under $10 and later under $20, it’s now time to go up the standalone denomination chain of the Federal Reserve note spectrum and discuss under-$50 sleeper stocks to buy before Wall Street wakes up. The narrative is simple. Your boss likes your work and decides to give you a raise. With half a Benjamin in your hand, your breadth of choices just expanded significantly.
Still, it’s a troubled market out there. With the Federal Reserve recently raising the benchmark interest rate to combat inflation, deflationary forces now impact the market. Left to extend to its extremes, deflation could create a passive incentive to do nothing. The purchasing power of the dollar rises, automatically creating positive returns for the apathetic. Admittedly, that’s not a great backdrop for under-$50 sleeper stocks to buy.
Nevertheless, these market ideas feature a relevant business profile that Wall Street doesn’t seem to be appreciating. You could take advantage of this lack of trust and perhaps foresight, provided you can accept the risks. If so, below are seven under-$50 sleeper stocks to buy.
| ALLY | Ally Financial | $28.10 |
| MRO | Marathon Oil | $22.67 |
| SUN | Sunco | $38.60 |
| PPC | Pilgrim’s Pride | $23.73 |
| LEU | Centrus Energy | $43.12 |
| GM | General Motors | $35.35 |
| TAP | Molson Coors | $48.29 |
Ally Financial (ALLY)
A bank holding company, Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) provides a range of services, including car financing, online banking, corporate lending and mortgage loans. It even has an electronic trading platform to trade financial assets, a feature that undoubtedly came in handy during the heyday of the post-pandemic new normal.
At the time of writing, Ally Financial printed a price tag of $28.10. The company has a market capitalization of $8.67 billion. Since the start of this year, ALLY lost 38% of its value in the equities sector. It’s not difficult to understand why given the Fed’s deflationary pivot.
Fundamentally, though, a deflationary cycle may inspire greater demand for Ally’s wealth management arm. When the purchasing power of the dollar rises, an investment opportunity must be so compelling that someone will be willing to set aside free positive returns. Ally’s professional financial advisors — as opposed to YouTube gurus — can help navigate clients to upside success.
Interestingly, Gurufocus.com considers ALLY significantly undervalued. Ally features a forward price-earnings (P/E) ratio of 3.9 times, well below the industry median rating of 8 times.
Marathon Oil (MRO)
An American company concentrating on hydrocarbon exploration, Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) benefitted handsomely from the energy security paradigm of 2022. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine setting off sanctions and retaliatory responses, the end result appears to be the Kremlin cutting off critical commodities to Western nations. Thus, MRO could swing higher.
Because of the high profile of Marathon, it’s not broadly considered an under-$50 sleeper stock. At the time of writing, MRO sits at $22.67 in the open market, gaining 6% for the day. Since the start of the year, MRO has gained nearly 38%. However, in the trailing month, shares have plunged 13%. Thus, Marathon is a sleeper in that stakeholders seem to be rushing to the exits recently.
Fundamentally, the deflationary forces at work pose problems for commodities. However, with Russia’s partial military mobilization, it appears Moscow committed the nation to the bitter end. That should cynically be net positive for MRO based on implied lower energy inventory levels.
Sunoco (SUN)
A master limited partnership, Sunoco (NYSE:SUN) specializes in fuel distribution. Technically, this concept aligns with the downstream component of the hydrocarbon industry. In contrast, a company like Marathon Oil above focuses on the upstream side of the energy sector.
Presently, Sunoco features a price tag of $38.60. It also has a market cap of $3.2 billion. On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, SUN has slipped a bit below 5%. Relatively speaking, that’s not bad at all considering the crimson ink in the major equity indices.
However, in the trailing month, SUN fell nearly 7%. Nevertheless, the combination of its underlying relevance and diminished market performance suggests that Sunoco is one of the best under-$50 sleeper stocks to buy.
Fundamentally, the downstream component presents much intrigue because of baseline inelastic demand. While fuel consumption behaviors change based on economic conditions, the baseline demand — or the consumption necessary to travel for essential purposes — remains largely the same. Thus, if you don’t mind the extra paperwork associated with MLPs, SUN could be an intriguing opportunity.
Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC)
An American multinational food company, Pilgrim’s Pride (NASDAQ:PPC) represents one of the largest chicken producers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. As well, it’s the second-largest chicken producer in Mexico. Given the necessity of food to humans, Pilgrim’s Pride offers a cynical idea for under-$50 sleeper stocks to buy.
At the time of writing, PPC stock commands a price of $23.73. The company has a market value of $5.88 billion. Although Pilgrim’s Pride features an indelible business narrative, its stock has fallen nearly 17% so far this year. In the trailing month, PPC has shed almost 20% of equity value.
While a risky idea, I’m going to borrow from Mr. InvestorPlace himself, Louis Navellier. “The poultry and pork products processor is profiting handsomely from rising meat prices that are stinging consumers’ pocketbooks. The company says it expects to earn $3.31 per share in earnings in 2022, up from 13 cents EPS in 2021 and 39 cents EPS in 2020.”
Centrus Energy (LEU)
A nuclear fuel company, Centrus Energy (NYSEMKT:LEU) supplies nuclear fuel for use in nuclear power plants. It also works to develop and deploy advanced centrifuge technology to produce enriched uranium for commercial and government uses. Naturally, Centrus plays a critical role in national security.
As of this writing, LEU stock has a price tag of $43.12. It’s one of the smaller companies on this list of under-$50 sleeper stocks, featuring a market cap of $624.7 million. While LEU has so far popped up 8% today, it’s down over 14% YTD. Nevertheless, contrarians will want to put Centrus on their radar.
Politically, we can talk all day about renewable this and sustainable that. Scientifically, though, nuclear energy will likely always play a vital role in domestic and perhaps global energy profiles. No other commodity features the incredible energy density of nuclear fuel. One uranium fuel pellet, for instance, commands the same energy potential as 149 gallons of crude oil.
General Motors (GM)
One of the most iconic American companies, General Motors (NYSE:GM) represents the largest automaker in the U.S. Of course, this status hasn’t always yielded success, especially this year due to myriad economic headwinds. However, contrarians may want to consider this intriguing entry among under-$50 sleeper stocks to buy.
At the time of writing, GM stock found itself priced at $35.35. Currently, the underlying automaker features a market cap of $51.5 billion. Since the start of the year, GM has hemorrhaged nearly 40% of equity value. Nevertheless, despite the crimson tide, the future appears bright for the company.
Essentially, GM perfectly balances initiatives geared toward electric vehicles (EVs) and combustion cars. As you may have seen, GM advertised several upcoming EV models, including the electric-powered Hummer. On the combustion side, the automaker introduced the eighth-generation mid-engine Corvette. Sales for the Corvette remain impressive.
Molson Coors (TAP)
A multinational drink and brewing company, Molson Coors (NYSE:TAP) brings people together through imbibing strong beverages. You can tell that it’s not your typical offering, because Molson Coors’ website is age restricted. Moving forward, cynical undertones associated with this business may lift TAP as one of the under-$50 sleeper stocks to buy.
At the time of writing, TAP barely qualifies for this list. It prints a price of $48.29. Currently, the company has a market cap of $10.5 billion. Notably, TAP outperformed several publicly traded companies so far this year, gaining half-a-percent above parity. Still, over the trailing month, shares have dipped 10%, suggesting some lack of appreciation here.
Fundamentally, if the economy slips into a recession, demand for Molson Coors may rise. Two elements would possibly be at play. First, American consumers historically spend money for escapism purposes during hard times. Second, no offense to any Molson Coors fans, but most of the underlying products aren’t exactly a bottle of Louis XIII de Rémy Martin, you know what I mean?
Thus, TAP could be an ideal play among under-$50 sleeper stocks if you anticipate a downturn.
On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.