3 Bargain Stocks You Can Buy Right Now
My wife just bought me a couple of pairs of shorts. Yep, shorts in January. It's not that the weather is warm enough to wear them. But they were nice shorts that normally cost more than $50 each and were on sale for less than $5 each. Definitely bargains.
I don't know if you'll find such a great deal on a pair of shorts where you live. However, you can definitely find plenty of bargains in the stock market. Thanks to the correction that began a few months ago, lots of stocks are attractively priced. Three top bargain stocks that you can buy right now are AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: JAZZ). Here's what's so appealing about these three stocks.
1. AbbVie
AbbVie is without question one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world. Its immunology drug Humira has ranked as the top-selling drug globally for several years and appears to be on track to stay at the top for a while to come.
The stock is also ridiculously cheap right now. AbbVie trades at less than 10 times expected earnings. Wall Street analysts expect the company will grow earnings by an average of close to 17% over the next five years. I suspect Wall Street is right about AbbVie's prospects.
In addition to Humira, the pharma company claims two other strong products in its lineup: cancer drug Imbruvica and hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug Mavyret. AbbVie also markets a couple of newer drugs with great potential -- endometriosis pain drug Orilissa and cancer drug Venclexta. Even better, though, the company's pipeline is ranked No. 2 in the biopharmaceutical industry. AbbVie should have two new megablockbuster drugs on the way with risankizumab and upadacitinib.
If AbbVie's bargain price and strong growth prospects aren't enough to interest you, consider its dividend. AbbVie has increased its dividend by a remarkable 140% since 2013. Its yield currently stands at 4.8%.
2. Apple
Yes, Apple just slashed its fiscal 2019 first-quarter revenue guidance. The company faces headwinds from the weakening Chinese economy. Apple also has problems with its latest iPhone upgrade cycle as customers hold onto their older phones longer than in the past. But Apple is still a good pick, in my view.
Apple's forward earnings multiple is below 10. Although that metric could be adjusted upward a bit after analysts digest the company's guidance revision, Apple will still trade at a bargain valuation.
But what about those problems? China's economic woes should be temporary. Slowing growth for iPhones is more concerning. However, Apple's product and services ecosystem (which includes iPhones, iPads, App Store, Apple Watch, Apple Pay, iTunes, smart-home products, and more) remains healthy overall.
Apple also has several new avenues for growth. The company reportedly plans to launch a streaming video-service this year with plenty of original content. It has a self-driving car project underway. Then there's the tech titan's big push into augmented reality (AR), a technology that superimposes computer-generated images, sounds, and more on the real-world environment. I think AR could be a game changer for Apple within a few years.
3. Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Jazz Pharmaceuticals currently has five drugs on the market. The company's biggest winner right now is narcolepsy drug Xyrem, which is on track to make at least $1.4 billion this year.
While Jazz stock trades at nine times expected earnings, that doesn't tell the full story about how attractive the biotech's valuation really is. Jazz should be able to increase its earnings by nearly 17% annually over the next five years. This puts the company's price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio at a super-low 0.55.
This anticipated growth is likely to stem in large part from additions to Jazz Pharmaceuticals' sleep portfolio. The company hopes to receive FDA approval in March for solriamfetol as a treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea. Jazz also has a promising late-stage candidate, JZP-258.
But Jazz's pipeline includes several other promising programs. The company is conducting multiple clinical studies in hopes to expand the approved indications for Vyxeo in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Jazz is pursuing additional indications for defibrotide as well.
One problem with buying bargains
I have no reservations in labeling AbbVie, Apple, and Jazz Pharmaceuticals as great bargains at their current share prices. Does that mean the stocks will skyrocket in 2019? Not necessarily.
There's a problem with buying bargain stocks: You never know how long they'll remain a bargain. Stocks can sometimes trade at discounts for a lot longer than you think they will. That could happen with any or all of these three stocks.
But I'm confident that patient investors will enjoy solid returns from AbbVie, Apple, and Jazz over the long run -- just as I'm confident that sooner or later summer will come and I'll get to wear my new pairs of shorts.
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Keith Speights owns shares of AbbVie and Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.