2023-12-28 11:05:24 ET
Summary
- As we close out the year and investors look at Tax Loss Harvesting, today we will discuss 3 options to buy.
- All 3 stocks offer a combination of growth while also trading at a reasonable valuation.
- In a time when stocks appear inflated as a whole, today, we look at 3 undervalued positions.
Today we are going to take a look at 3 individual stocks, some of which I get asked about a lot. In today's piece, I will cover these three stocks and look into why I believe their valuations are intriguing.
3 Undervalued Stocks I am Buying
Stock #1 - PayPal Holdings (PYPL)
PayPal Holdings is a Fintech company that was a darling during the pandemic as the stock rose to an all-time high of closing price of $308.53. The stock is far from those prices today as the stock has fallen 80% from those levels down to its $62 price today.
The company currently trades at a market cap of $67 billion. Over the past 12 months the stock is down 10%, but in the past month, the stock has risen more than 10%.
PayPal was actually founded by a group of individuals, one of those being Elon Musk. After that, PayPal gained popularity when it was purchased by eBay in 2002 and then eventually spun off. The company now is one of the most trusted online payment platforms available to consumers and businesses alike. In addition, the company owns the likes of Venmo, which they are still working to monetize.
PayPal was an early online payment processing adopter, but there has been a slew of new competitors hitting the market, one of the biggest being the likes of Apple Pay from Apple (AAPL).
Looking at this chart below, you can see that the company has continued to increase revenues, even in the face of rising competition over the years. Analysts believe that trend will continue moving forward.
Earnings are expected to follow a similar trend with analysts expecting EPS growth of 11% in 2024 and 13% in 2025.
Expected 2024 EPS of $5.53 per share gives shares of PYPL an earnings multiple of just 11.2x, which equates to a PEG ratio of 1.0. These both suggest the stock is undervalued, which is a reason I rate shares of PayPal a BUY.
Analysts are also bullish on the stock, rating the stock a BUY with a 12-month price target of $74 per share, implying ~23% upside from current levels.
Stock #2 - Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)
Another stock I get a lot of questions about and one I believe is undervalued is Alphabet Inc. The company is part of the "Magnificent 7" but they are one of the rare value plays within that group.
It is hard to think GOOGL is a "value play" when it has a market cap of $1.7 trillion, and has seen their stock rise over 55% the past 12 months, but I believe there to be much further to go for this company.
Alphabet had a rough time at the start of the year with concerns around a slowdown in digital advertising, which is obviously a huge piece of the business given that they dominate search with both Google Search and YouTube, two of the largest search engines. Search is not the only piece of the business, as they are diversified, and one of those areas they have another big footprint in is within the Cloud segment. Now we have the company looking to be one of the leaders within Artificial intelligence.
The company is operating at an efficient manner while also growing at the same time. The company's most recent quarter showed top line revenue growth of 11% to go along with operating margins of 28%, 300 bps higher than a year ago.
Moving forward, revenues are not expected to slow, as analysts see double-digit revenue growth each of the next three years.
Seeking Alpha
In terms of EPS, analysts are looking for 16% EPS growth each of the next two years. There are estimates that go further out, but as you know, anything can happen, so I do not like to rely on far out estimates. Using the 2024 EPS estimate of $6.69, shares of GOOGL trade at a forward P/E ratio of 20.9x, which is below their 10-year average of 25x.
I rate shares of GOOGL a BUY.
Analysts also see some upside with the stock as they have a 12-month Price Target of $155, implying nearly 10% upside from current levels.
Stock #3 - NextEra Energy (NEE)
NextEra Energy is a utility company, with a regulated portion of the business and its resources segment of the business. The regulated utility piece of the business is reported as "America's largest utility company," so in terms of size, it is large.
NextEra is a way to play the growth in renewable resources. The company has a market cap of $122 billion and over the past 12 months, the stock is down nearly 30%.
This should not come as a surprise as the utility sector has been the worst performing sector in 2023, largely due to higher interest rates and utilities being a bit more of an income play.
NextEra is a dividend stock with a current yield of 3.1%, so as you can see, there is a lot of competition in a high rate environment when just looking at the income. However, there is a lot more opportunity that comes along with equities, one being dividend growth and NEE shareholders have seen the company increase the dividend for nearly 30 consecutive years and have a 5-year dividend growth rate of 11%.
In addition to dividend growth, the stock also offers some growth potential. The stock is trading at a great valuation, making the risk reward opportunity look quite intriguing. Analysts are looking for NEE to generate EPS of $3.40 next year, which equates to a multiple of 17.5x, well below their five-year historical average of 30x.
I rate shares of NEE a BUY based on a growing income and a cheap valuation.
Analysts tend to agree, as they rate the stock a BUY with a 12-month price target of roughly $70, implying 17% upside from current levels.
Investor Takeaway
All three of these stocks appear to present opportunity moving forward. They all have growth trajectories moving forward and investors are getting the opportunity to add shares at a reasonable valuation.
PayPal could struggle if we see a weakening consumer going into 2024, but long term, the company has a lot of opportunity.
Alphabet is a powerhouse with plenty of growth packed in between search, cloud, AI, and other segments of the business as well.
NextEra is a way to play the move to more renewable resources as the US looks to be a leader in this area.
In the comment section below, let me know your thoughts on these 3 stocks.
Disclosure: This article is intended to provide information to interested parties. I have no knowledge of your individual goals as an investor, and I ask that you complete your own due diligence before purchasing any stocks mentioned or recommended.
For further details see:
3 Undervalued Stocks I Am Buying