We recently published a list of 11 Best NYSE Penny Stocks to Buy Right Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE:ACCO) stands against other best NYSE penny stocks to buy right now.

Small and medium-sized companies are the most affected by the direction of the economy and interest rates. With the US Federal Reserve cutting interest rates and the economy steering into a soft landing, the focus is slowly shifting towards penny stocks that remain well-positioned to be supercharged by improving macroeconomics.

It’s time to go all in into the small-cap rotation play after years of market domination by large-cap stocks. That’s the sentiment echoed by Citi  U.S. equity strategist Scott Chronert, who believes small-cap stocks offer an affordable way of investing in value and are well-poised to generate long-term value.

READ ALSO: 10 Worst-Performing Growth Stocks in 2024 and 8 Best Micro Cap Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.

“Combined, investors could be paying a much lower multiple for a similar growth profile going forward,” he wrote. “Given post-pandemic peculiarities, the lack of a real cycle, and secular trends that support leaders, we still want to be owners of some Large Cap winners, but increasingly view Small/Mid Cap as an attractive alternative to the other 493. Said differently, we are more comfortable dipping down cap in search of fundamental winners and thematic expressions.”

Although small and mid-cap stocks have delivered above-average, double-digit gains over the past year, they look increasingly attractive amid a monetary policy change. The US Federal Reserve, commencing its monetary easing cycle, is making it easier for such companies to borrow money to expand their businesses. With their long-term prospects looking positive, investors are slowly taking note of their depressed valuation.

Similarly, the Russell 2000 ETF, which consists mainly of small and medium-cap companies, is up by 13% compared to a 22% gain for the S&P 500, affirming the massive room for gains among penny stocks.

“We continue to believe that these stocks have been unfairly punished (or ignored) given what we have viewed as a mismatch between the fundamental underpinnings and the group’s relative performance, and nothing has changed in that regard. It is only a matter of time before the fortunes of this group take a turn for the better” now that central bankers are cutting rates. Wrote BMO analysts’ research notes to investors.

Likewise, there is an influx of investments into small-cap exchange-traded funds amid growing optimism that the companies are fairly valued with tremendous upside potential. According to ETF journalist Dave Nadig in an interview on CNBC, money inflow into penny stocks might not necessarily be a rotation from winning growth trades. Instead, it is a diversification play as the focus shifts to getting broader exposure heading into year-end. The diversification strategy is part of a broader strategy of absorbing   volatility

″ [Investors] are now, for the first time in ages, buying value, buying some of these defensive sectors, buying small caps. But they haven’t stopped buying the other things as well,” Nadig said in an interview on CNBC ETF Edge. “I think this is money coming in from that giant bucket of money markets that we know is sitting out there.”

Given that large-cap stocks continue to outperform the overall market, the focus on penny stocks is mostly on companies that are profitable. Given that 40% of the small-cap companies in the S&P 500 are unprofitable, investors are turning their attention to ETFs that exclude unprofitable companies as they optimize their return amid the current Bull Run.

The focus on penny stocks of profitable companies stems from the historical thesis that small caps often outperform large caps whenever the economy is expanding amid solid macroeconomics. Consequently, small-cap companies with exposure to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are becoming some of the most sought-after owing to their tremendous upside potential.

The best NYSE penny stocks to buy right now also stand out owing to their attractive valuations and the fact that they have a narrow expected earnings growth gap compared to large-cap companies. The fact that investors have to pay a much lower multiple for the penny stocks also makes them stand out on the risk-reward front.

Our Methodology

We used the Finviz screener to find stocks lists on the New York Stock Exchange that are trading below $5, as of October 31. We then selected stocks that analysts are bullish on and expect to generate significant long-term value due to their solid underlying fundamentals. Finally, we ranked the stocks in ascending order based on the number of hedge funds that hold stakes in them, as of Q2 2024.

At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE:ACCO)

Price as of October 31: $4.97

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 24

ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE:ACCO) is a company that makes and sells products for schools, offices, and technology use. They offer things like computer and gaming accessories, planners, and cleaning supplies. While the company remains profitable, it has come under pressure in 2024, going down by 20% year to date, underperforming the S&P 500, which is already up by more than 22%.

ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE:ACCO) sentiments have come under pressure on the company, delivering declining sales, and its core business of selling a variety of office and school supplies was hurt by inflationary pressures. It delivered mixed third quarter results that were in line with expectations  bolstered by improving sales trends.  Net sales were down by 6% to $421 million mostly hurt by  foreign exchange effects. On the other hand net income totaled $9.3 million or $0.09 a share. the company is on track to achieve $20 million in costs savings for the full year as part of its cost savings program

Due mostly to working capital management, ACCO Brands operating cash flow improved to $95.5 million in Q3  from $70.7 million the year before. By the end of the third quarter of the previous year, the company’s consolidated leverage ratio was 3.8x, and dropped to 3.5x.

Likewise, ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE:ACCO)’s long-term outlook remains positive as the economic environment improves, as inflation drops and the Fed cuts interest rates.  The company has embarked on a cost management strategy backed by strategic improvements in infrastructure and operational efficiencies expected to drive bottom-line growth and improved cash flow.

It remains one of the best NYSE penny stocks to buy now as it has increased its dividend payments by an average of 4.9% over the past three years. ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE:ACCO) has already confirmed a $0.075 per share dividend, representing a $0.30 annualized dividend and a 6.24% yield.

Overall, ACCO ranks 11th on our list of best NYSE penny stocks to buy right now. While we acknowledge the potential of ACCO as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ACCO but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.