All posts by Ian Bezek

7 Heavily Discounted Stocks to Buy Today

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The market had a pretty terrible October. And so far, November isn’t looking a whole lot better. A bunch of previously hot trends, from FAANG stocks to marijuana and crypto are all struggling as of late. The recovery in oil has abruptly reversed; crude prices are now in freefall.

Add it all up, and things have gotten downright ugly from a sentiment perspective. It has felt like there has been no place to hide during the recent selloff. Investors have plenty of worries, including higher interest rates, oil prices, China’s economic health and a changing political outlook following the elections.

But there is some good news. Earnings growth remains strong. The unemployment rate is low; remember, the Fed is hiking aggressively to keep the economy from overheating. Consumer confidence is elevated, and as such, we should expect a strong holiday season, particularly with gas prices dipping. On top of that, we’re entering the historically strongest portion of the year for the stock market.

While others are worried, it’s the time to go shopping for stocks ahead of the holidays. Here are seven stocks to buy today.

JD.com (JD)

JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) is having an unpleasant 2018 due to three factors. For one, its revenue growth rate has slowed down significantly. Second, the whole Chinese tech sector has plummeted thanks to escalating trade war tensions. Finally, JD’s CEO, Richard Liu, was involved in a sexual assault scandal that rattled some investors’ nerves.

To be clear, these are all legitimate concerns. JD stock is a high-risk, high-reward stock. But with the share price down from $50 to $22, it’s time to get aggressive as others are panicking.

JD stock is now down to 0.5x sales. That’s an absurdly cheap ratio for a fast-growing e-commerce play.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), by contrast, tended to trade at three times that level during its post-recession growth phase, and that’s before its valuation surged even higher as the cloud business took off. Unless you think Chinese trade concerns will send their economy into a deep recession, or that the company’s business model has broken down, it’s hard to see a case where JD stock doesn’t trade back to 1x sales sooner or later.

Figuring that revenues grow 30% next year, and you’re looking at JD stock trading north of $50 per share again in due time.

Transcanada (TRP)

The oil bears are back in full force. WTI crude prices have plummeted from $76 in early October to just $56 now. The decline was capped by a punishing 9% decline on Tuesday as rumors of Saudi production changes and potential hedge fund wipeouts led to capitulation selling.

For investors seeking stocks to buy at a discount, this sort of action is great. Traders tend to sell anything related to oil during a major decline in crude. They’re making a big mistake with Transcanada (NYSE:TRP), however. TRP stock, owner of the Keystone pipeline, along with various natural gas pipelines, energy generation facilities and energy storage units, is now on deep sale.

The company, which has produced 13% compounded annual returns since 2000, is a true North American blue-chip stock. Although its Canadian headquarters makes it less known to American investors, the $35 billion market cap firm is one of the leaders in our energy industry. And with TRP stock near 52-week lows, it now yields more than 5.4%, with management suggesting that there will be 8% to 10% annual dividend hikes through at least 2022.

Given Transcanada’s exposure to natural gas investors should look past short-term oil weakness and buy TRP stock on this dip. This is particularly true when you consider that the price of natural gas has surged 50% in recent months.

Schlumberger (SLB)

Stock To Buy: Schlumberger (SLB)

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Here’s a fun fact. At the bottom of the 2015-16 oil crash, when WTI crude hit $27 per barrel, Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) stock bottomed at $65 per share. Now crude is sinking again, but is still at $56, or double where it was at the nadir of the previous crash.

SLB stock, by contrast, is at $48. That’s a 25% discount to its previous low.

Has Schlumberger’s business position gotten that much worse? No, it hasn’t. It remains the world’s leading oilfield services company, with roughly 100,000 employees working in more than 85 countries. It also has stayed solidly profitable and continues to pay its dividend despite the rough times for the oil industry in recent years.

Value investing pioneer Benjamin Graham put it well in his classic book The Intelligent Investor. There, he suggested that during a crash in a sector, the prudent patient investor could simply buy the industry’s leader, assuming it had a reasonable balance sheet and hold on for the inevitable recovery when the sector became hot again.

We don’t know when oil will bounce back. We do know that Schlumberger will still be in business when it does. In fact, the longer the sector downturn goes on, the more SLB stock may benefit as its weaker peers go bankrupt and it can buy up their assets and hire their employees on the cheap.

In any case, SLB stock is one of the more appealing stocks to buy, given that it’s at a 25% discount to the worst of its 2016 levels, even with oil way up from then.

Goldman Sachs (GS)

Stock To Buy: Goldman Sachs (GS)

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I’m generally not a huge proponent of the too-big-to-fail banks. In general, a discriminating investor can find better value in smaller local banks. That said, a market overreaction of this magnitude is hard to ignore … yes, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) should rebound quickly in coming weeks.

GS stock plummeted from $230 last week to $205 on the basis of a scandal in Malaysia. Malaysia’s finance minister is demanding a $600 million refund of fees. Goldman Sachs earned that amount in return for underwriting bonds of the controversial 1MDB fund.

Reports claim said fund stole money and that Goldman Sachs “cheated” in its dealings in the matter. Assuming the worst is true and Goldman refunds $600 million, that would amount to a hit of less than $2 per share of GS stock.

Thus, the stock market has punished GS stock roughly 10x the amount of market cap that is implicated in this scandal. Sure, it’s possible that the damage spreads. But investment banks end up in this sort of mess all the time; the generally safe assumption is to expect fines, a regulatory slap-on-the-wrist and then business carrying on like usual.

And business as usual is looking pretty great for Goldman Sachs here. Thanks to the recent selloff, the stock is trading at 8x trailing and 8x forward earnings. That’s right, this $205 stock is earning more than $25 in annual earnings-per-share. I know investment banks are risky, but that’s a pretty huge margin of safety.

Once this scandal blows over, expect traders to rediscover the strong fundamentals for the U.S. financial industry and bid GS stock back up.

British American Tobacco (BTI)

For higher yield dividend investorsBritish American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI) should be near the top of your radar. The $90 billion market cap firm has seen its stock plunge in 2018, putting it firmly in the “stocks to buy at a major discount” category. In fact, BTI stock is down from $70 to $37 in recent months.

That’s a truly massive drop for a defensive company like British American. Usually vice stocks, such as beer, liquor and cigarette names hold up well through market volatility. In fact, over the past 80 years, those sectors have historically been No.1 and No. 2 in total market returns.

However, BTI stock is in freefall now. That’s partly due to higher interest rates knocking down many higher-yielding stocks. The bigger risk has come with the threats to the menthol cigarette market.

The Food and Drug Administration is reportedly looking at banning the popular product. British American has led this product category, and a ban would certainly hit profits. But it’s estimated that only 25% of its profits come from menthol products; that’s hardly reason enough to trigger a nearly 50% selloff in the BTI stock price this year.

In the meantime, shareholders now get a juicy 6.9% dividend yield for owning BTI stock. And with the P/E ratio at just 9x, even an unfavorable resolution to the menthol issue would still leave the stock at a reasonable valuation.

Qualcomm (QCOM)

Stock To Buy: Qualcomm (QCOM)

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The ups and downs continue for Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM). The company remains a controversial one. Since its NXP Semiconductor (NASDAQ:NXPI) merger blew up, investors have quickly had to reassess their outlook for Qualcomm as an independent entity. Initially QCOM stock declined, but shares advanced 40% off the lows as investors warmed up to the company’s prospects. In particular, the company’s announcement of a gigantic $30 billion share buyback seemed to put a floor under the stock.

Unfortunately, the combination of the October tech rout and weak quarterly results have sent QCOM stock tumbling again. For people looking for stocks to buy, however, the sell-off is an opportunity.

Qualcomm’s licensing franchise on 3G and 4G patents should continue to deliver strong and stable cash flow for many years to come. And while there is much more uncertainty, Qualcomm should earn strong profits in future years from 5G as well. And the tide in the patent litigation battle against Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) appears to be turning in Qualcomm’s favor. Once that is resolved, it will lift an overhang on QCOM stock.

In the meantime, enjoy a greater than 4.5% dividend and a robust share buyback policy.

A.O. Smith Corporation (AOS)

Looking for a lower risk way to play the recovery in China-related stocks? While JD stock has more upside, A.O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) is a safer way to take advantage of a thaw in trade relations between China and the U.S. A.O. Smith, for those unfamiliar, is an $8 billion market cap leader in water heaters, boilers and water treatment products.

While the business may sound boring, its returns have been rather dramatic. Prior to the financial crisis, AOS stock was priced at $6. It’s now at $45, and it had recently hit $65 before the China worries started.

AOS stock has managed such spectacular growth because the emerging markets have huge demand for water products. As billions of people come into the middle class, they can finally afford AOS’ products, which has led to near double-digit revenue growth for the firm.

At 16x forward earnings, AOS stock looks reasonably priced for a defensive company that also supports surprisingly strong growth prospects.

Here’s another thing to love: A.O. Smith treats its shareholders well. It has raised its dividend every year in a row dating back to 1984. With the recent stronger growth in emerging markets, it has been raising the dividend at more than 10% annually in recent times, including an impressive 22% hike this most recent year.

Combine that with a stock that has recently dropped 30% on China worries, and this is a great stock to buy during this correction.

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3 Great Semiconductor Stocks to Buy Now

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Semiconductor stocks are having a bumpy 2018. While the sector is in the green overall, the chipmakers are trailing the Nasdaq Composite, as measured by the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) by a wide margin. The QQQ ETF is up 16% year-to-date, with the iShares PHLX Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) up just half that for the year.

It’s not hard to see why investors are worried about chipmakers. Several of the trends that had powered them in recent quarters and years are starting to fade. The group of chipmakers tied to Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), for example, have lost momentum as the global smartphone market looks increasingly saturated. Other trends that had been powering increased semiconductor demand, such as cryptocurrencies and Internet of Things are starting to see their expectations come back in a bit.

On top of that, semiconductor stocks were among the hottest groups in the market since 2016. A pause in their momentum is not a big surprise. That said, given the recent underperformance in the sector, it could be time to go fishing for a little value. And yes, that means steering clear of the controversial and expensive high-fliers like Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) in search of more compelling value.

Here are three such semiconductors stocks to buy today.

Semiconductor Stocks to Buy: Texas Instruments (TXN)

Semiconductor Stocks to Buy: Texas Instruments (TXN)

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Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) suffered from a bit of unwanted publicity recently. Its new CEO, Brian Crutcher, resigned due to personal conduct issues less than two months after being promoted to the role.

Texas Instruments has reinstated long-time top executive John Templeton, who guided the company to great prosperity in recent years, to the CEO role indefinitely. While the management shake-up may have made some investors nervous, TXN’s core business keeps on humming. Last quarter produced yet another earnings beat on both the top and bottom line.

With the string of earnings-per-share growth in recent years, Texas Instruments now tops $100 billion in market cap. It dominates its niche: analog chips that process real-world measurable data for digital applications. It continues building out its patent library, manufacturing capabilities and product lines with additional acquisitions. As such, it has achieved massive scale and can continue plugging more products into its platform.

Texas Instruments has its fingers in many pies, with its efforts in automotive and communications chips showing particular promise given current market trends. Additionally, the company has more security and recurring revenue than most chipmakers, as its products tend to have much longer lifecycles than the sorts of designs that go into hot consumer products such as phones.

TXN stock has soared in recent years; it’s up from $50 to more than $110 just since early 2016. But the fun isn’t over yet.

TXN stock sells for 18x forward earnings. Combine that with its 15% projected five-year EPS growth rate, and you have a reasonably priced tech growth company. On top of that, the company pays a market-beating dividend of 2.2%, and management raises the dividend by a double-digit percentage every year.

Semiconductor Stocks to Buy: Intel (INTC)

Semiconductor Stocks to Buy: Intel (INTC)

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AMD’s recent gains have, to some extent, been Intel’s (NASDAQ:INTC) pain. While AMD stock has soared to a new 12-year high, INTC stock has slipped back under the $50 level. Intel is still up strongly over the past year, but the stock has now corrected almost 20% since early June.

The dip in INTC stock is a buying opportunity.

The market has grown concerned about repeated delays with Intel’s line of 10nm technology. For the first time in many years, it appears that AMD is reaching technological parity with Intel across both the server and laptop markets. AMD, which has been stuck in the 20% market share range for ages, could draw much closer to Intel in coming quarters.

However, don’t count Intel out anytime soon. The company still has far more resources and R&D prowess than AMD. While its delays with this product cycle have been embarrassing, they can and will be fixed. And as it is, there is more to performance than just the nanometer size of chips — Intel’s current generation of products are still highly competitive.

Intel, like other lumbering tech companies, appeared to be waking up recently. INTC stock had started to trade up to a higher price-to-earnings ratio for the first time in years. But the recent drop has Intel back well into value territory. At these prices, INTC stock is selling at 12x trailing and 11x forward earnings. The company’s dividend is also back above the 2.5% mark.

Take advantage of temporary competitive issues against AMD to score INTC stock at a nice discount to recent prices.

Semiconductor Stocks to Buy: Qualcomm (QCOM)

Semiconductor Stocks to Buy: Qualcomm (QCOM)

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Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), like Texas Instruments, has also had some excitement lately. Qualcomm finally abandoned its long-running attempt to take over NXP Semiconductors(NASDAQ:NXPI).

This acquisition would have broadly diversified Qualcomm’s business. Investors have looked nervously at Qualcomm’s concentration in patent-based revenues as its own chips have fallen prey, in some cases, to OEM competition.

However, there was also a good deal of execution risk in the proposed mega-merger. So China’s influence in scuttling the deal could come out as a plus. As it is, Qualcomm still gets huge royalties off of 3G and 4G technology, and it has an enviable position in the upcoming rollout of 5G.

Shareholders will get a concentrated ownership position on these assets. That’s because Qualcomm — now that the NXP deal is dead — announced a gigantic buyback of up to $30 billion by the end of 2019.

Given Qualcomm’s current $100 billion market cap, we’re talking about the company retiring something along the lines of a quarter of outstanding QCOM stock. On top of that, QCOM stock offers a large dividend yield, currently almost 4%, making it one of the top income plays in the tech space. QCOM stock has recovered nicely since the NXP deal failed. Still, the all-time high is up around $80, offering substantial upside as a target, especially as the buyback kicks in.

At of this writing, Ian Bezek owned shares in TXN, INTC and QCOM stock.

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Marijuana Stocks: Two to Consider, Two to Avoid

Marijuana Stocks: Two to Consider, Two to Avoid

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The marijuana legalization movement is picking up speed. There have been various wins here and there, such as in Colorado and Washington. Uruguay became the first nation in the Americas to permit recreational marijuana usage in 2014. It further legalized marijuana pharmacies in 2017.

However, until now, no major country had legalized consumption on a national level. Marijuana stocks were waiting for a bigger market to come online.

That’s happened now. Canada has opened up marijuana to public usage. Its Senate approved legislation earlier this week which removes the last obstacle to legalized pot. It’s expected that Canadians will be able to consume legal weed as early as October.

Not surprisingly, investors are rushing to get in on the ground floor of this vast new market. Here are some marijuana stocks that could deliver big gains, and others that come with significantly more risk.

Marijuana Stocks to Consider: Constellation Brands

You may know Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) as a leading beer and wine company. And that’s true. But Constellation has big plans for the marijuana space in the future. The opening move for that came with Constellation buying a 9.9% stake in Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC) this past October.

This was an obvious and attractive way to get exposure to the marijuana equity space at an attractive price. Canopy stock was at around $10 back then and is now at around $34.

And there is a bigger strategic plan at work as well. Constellation wants to sell marijuana-infused products itself. The company has said that it’s too early to tell whether marijuana legislation will help, hurt or be neutral for alcohol companies. As a result, it is hedging its bets by selling pot-infused beverages of its own. As the company put it earlier this year:

“Our goal with this organization [Canopy] is to work collaboratively to both understand the cannabis business but also develop unique cannabis-based beverages that will be available around the world as legalities prove those to be an option.”

A Canopy spokesperson suggested that marijuana-infused products, such as beverages, won’t be legal in Canada until next year. However, she went on to add: “That said, we are already preparing for the opportunity to brand and market these products, once federal regulations permit.”

In the meantime, Constellation has its leading portfolio of beer and wines, including brands such as Corona. With STZ stock at 21x forward earnings, this is a reasonable way to get a shot at the marijuana market without taking massive downside risk.

Marijuana Stocks to Avoid: Canopy Growth

Let’s turn from Canopy’s 10% stock owner, Constellation Brands, to Canopy itself. Unfortunately for average investors, Constellation got in at a way better price than we could now.

Last fall, Constellation paid C$245 million (US$184 million) for 9.9% of Canopy Growth. CGC stock is now selling with a market cap of greater than $5.7 billion. That values Constellation’s share at $570 million, or triple their investment in under a year.

As stated above, that was a savvy move on Constellation’s part. But the price of CGC stock today bakes in some outlandish optimism. CGC stock now sells at more than 100x sales. The company sold only $55 million in product last year, but the market values that at more than $5.7 billion.

A 100x price/sales ratio is nearly unheard of in the history of publicly traded stocks. The general rule is to avoid stocks trading above 10x price/sales — maybe, just maybe you can get away with paying 20x for something growing at an incredible rate. But 100x sales is a bridge too far.

Sure, going forward, Canopy will be able to grow its revenues much more quickly. But a flood of competition will hit markets, lowering margins as well. And it’s not like Canopy was earning huge profits on its minimal revenue stream either. CGC stock is a story-driven mania at this point.

Once people double-check the math, they’ll see that Canopy won’t be able to create $5.7 billion in value anytime soon. A holding stake via a company like Constellation is a much safer way to invest, since it is a diversified business, and plans to roll out its own marijuana-infused products. And you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for STZ stock like you do with Canopy.

Marijuana Stocks to Consider: Alcanna

Alcanna (OTCMKTS:LQSIF) is another marijuana stock worth considering today. Alcanna was formerly known as Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd. and ran, not surprisingly, liquor stores in Canada and the United States. It has realigned its business model in recent months, however. It’s divesting some of the U.S.-based liquor stores to become a more Canada-focused operation.

And, most importantly, Alcanna will now become a marijuana retailer. Alcanna currently operates about 175 liquor stores in Alberta, along with a smaller number in British Columbia. That gives it a nice position in the sales of already heavily regulated goods. That makes it a natural player for building out a marijuana retail business.

The company also earned a sizable endorsement. Aurora Cannabis (OTCMKTS:ACBFF) bought 25% of Alcanna earlier this year for a more than $100-million investment. That gives Alcanna plenty of capital to build out its retail business and a close partnership with one of Canada’s big emerging producers.

There is plenty of risk here. Alcanna had a mixed track record as a pure-play liquor store operator. Adding marijuana to the mix doesn’t guarantee success. But the valuation is reasonable, and Alcanna offers an interesting 4% dividend yield while waiting for the growth story to potentially play out.

Marijuana Stocks to Avoid: Neptune Technologies

Neptune Technologies (NASDAQ:NEPT) is a long-running story stock. Almost a decade ago, the company hyped up its krill oil, extracted from a type of small Arctic crustacean.

Neptune positioned krill oil as a superior alternative to fish oil, which companies such as Amarin(NASDAQ:AMRN) sell. Amarin obtained FDA approval for Vascepa, its fish oil-based pharmaceutical drug, for cardiovascular benefits.

Neptune, by contrast, never achieved similar success. While NEPT stock gyrated widely, krill oil never took off. A fatal factory explosion in 2012 set the company back farther. Last year, Neptune finally threw in the towel on krill oil, selling off its manufacturing business for $34 million. NEPT stock slumped to multiyear lows below $1/share following the news.

However, Neptune wasn’t done. It decided to pivot, not surprisingly, to marijuana. Instead of getting an extract from tiny marine life, the new plan is to extract oil from cannabis. It also has suggested that it may combine cannabis with omega-3 oils, though it’s unclear what potential synergies the two would have in combination.

And NEPT stock flew earlier this week following news that it will partner with Canopy Growth to make marijuana extracts in a multiyear deal. The press release provided little in the way of tangible details. Regardless, it was enough to shoot NEPT stock up to $4, giving it a $350-million market cap.

Could Neptune’s cannabis extracts become a big market? Sure. Is it worth a $350-million market cap for a company with a checkered past and no clear pathway to profitability in the future? Probably not.

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Source: Investor Place 

3 Cheap Stocks Under $3 to Consider Now

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In theory, investors shouldn’t care about the price of a company’s stock. What matters more than anything is the market cap. It’s an error to think a stock is cheap simply because its share price is in the low single digits. And investors should use extra caution when searching through low-priced stocks. Oftentimes, stocks that have fallen to trading for just a couple bucks end up going all the way to zero.

That said, some of the market’s biggest winners also come out of the sub-$5 stock category. Whether the company has a low share price due to falling from glory or just not being discovered yet, these low-priced players can sometimes rocket to crazy heights.

So, with the disclaimer that these sorts of companies tend to be of the high-risk, high-reward variety, let’s take a look at three cheap stocks under $3 that could fly in coming quarters.

Cheap Stock Under $3: J C Penney (JCP)

J C Penney Company (NYSE:JCP) got hammered on Wednesday for a near-8% loss. That decline dropped JCP stock well below the $3 threshold and put it squarely back in the potential bargain bin category.

JCP stock has been back in the news recently due to a management change. As InvestorPlace’sWilliam White wrote, JCP’s CEO, Marvin Ellison, quit the company to take the reins at Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW). While Ellison is clearly stepping into a nice position at Lowe’s, he also may have wanted to get away from JC Penney given recent results. JCP disappointed with its past holiday season, and this most recent quarter was a mixed bag, as revenues beat but earnings missed and the company offered soft guidance.

Despite the issues, J C Penney could still turn the corner. Analysts see the company finally returning to profitability over the next year. Forward earnings estimates put the stock around 18x earnings. If those earnings in fact occur, expect JCP stock to fly. Short sellers are betting against an astounding 41% of JCP stock’s float. That sort of massive short position is just asking for an explosion when the company delivers good news.

With Sears Holding Corp (NASDAQ:SHLD) closing dozens more stores and looking increasingly shaky, JCP stock can fly once it takes sales away from its rival.

Cheap Stock Under $3: B2Gold (BTG)

Canadian-based gold miner B2Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG) gets no respect. The $2.67 share price does a lot to mask the company’s strength. Here’s why B2Gold deserves more attention.

Given its large share count, B2 has $2.6 billion market cap. That figure could go a lot higher in coming quarters. The company, unlike many sub-$3 gold stocks, is highly diversified. The company has more than half a dozen mines and development projects, spanning the globe from The Philippines to Colombia, Nicaragua and three African nations.

A major new mine opening this year will take B2’s gold production up by almost 50% while lowering their average cost per ounce nicely. Next year, B2Gold should hit 1 million ounces of annual production, elevating it into a pretty small group of mining companies to reach that size.

For now, BTG stock is still trading quietly. That’s probably due to gold, which has been trading flat around $1,300 per ounce for quite awhile now. However, with the risk in geopolitical tensions and a likely upcoming pullback in the dollar, gold prices, and thus BTG stock could start to move in a hurry. Analysts see B2’s earnings tripling this year, which, combined with favorable gold price movements, could send the stock flying.

Cheap Stock Under $3: Companhia Energtica de Minas Gerais (CIG)

Despite the ticker symbol, Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (NYSE:CIG) has nothing to do with tobacco. Rather, it is one of Brazil’s largest utility companies.

Don’t let the $1.79 stock price confuse you, CIG’s share price doesn’t represent weakness. The company has a large outstanding share count, resulting in a $2.5 billion market cap to go along with roughly $7 billion in annual revenues. It leads Brazil in electricity distribution, and is among the top three utilities there in transmission and in generation.

What’s to like about CIG stock now? For one, it is down from a $2.60 peak in March to just $1.79 now. That sell-off has been driven by political troubles in Brazil and a sharp decline in their currency. Brazilian stocks, as a whole, are down close to a third since their January highs.

While macroeconomic fears are a concern for CIG stock, the company’s electricity business should fare better than most other Brazilian stocks in rough economic conditions.

The company is now selling at 13x trailing earnings, and earnings are expected to grow as Brazil continues to come out of an economic funk. On top of that, CIG stock paid 15 cents per share in dividends this year, amounting to an eye-catching 8% dividend yield. But please note that CIG pays a variable dividend, so there is no guarantee next year’s payment will be that large.

Regardless, there appears to be significant value compared to other utility stocks, especially with the stock selling well under book value. In addition, CIG stock could surge once investors want to buy back into Brazil.

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Source: Investor Place