We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Affordable Stocks To Buy Right Now. In this article, we will look at where Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) ranks among the best affordable stocks to buy right now.

The stock market appears to be at a turning point. While major indexes are still hovering near record levels, there’s been increased volatility this earnings season. Stocks tied to artificial intelligence and semiconductors, once investor darlings, have seen significant sell-offs. With the approaching presidential election, and shifting Federal Reserve policies, uncertainty might be the central theme this autumn.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, a key report from the Labor Department, revealed that job openings dropped to 7.67 million in July, a decrease of 237,000 from June’s revised figure and the lowest since January 2021. This decline reduced the ratio of job openings per available worker to just under 1.1, a significant drop from its peak of over 2-to-1 in early 2022. The data is expected to support the Federal Reserve’s anticipated move to begin lowering interest rates at their upcoming September 17-18 meeting.

Michael Yoshikami, CEO of Destination Wealth Management, believes the U.S. Federal Reserve could make a significant 50 basis point rate cut without unsettling the markets. His comments align with Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who recently suggested the Fed should consider a half-point cut, arguing that the central bank’s prior tightening moves were excessive. While Yoshikami acknowledged that such a large cut might fuel recession fears, he emphasized that concerns are exaggerated. He also noted that the recent market sell-off, which marked the S&P 500’s worst week since March 2023, followed a period of “massive profits” in the prior month. Despite a turbulent start, August saw gains across major indexes, and September is typically a slower trading period.

Thanos Papasavvas, founder and chief investment officer of ABP Invest, acknowledged growing concerns about a potential economic downturn. ABP recently raised its recession probability for the U.S. to 30%, up from 25% in June, though Papasavvas described the risk as “relatively contained.” He emphasized that key economic indicators, such as manufacturing and unemployment rates, remain “resilient.”

On another front, U.S. factories continued to experience a slowdown in August, raising concerns about the direction of the economy. The Institute for Supply Management’s monthly survey of purchasing managers showed that only 47.2% reported growth for the month, falling below the 50% threshold that signals expansion. Although this was slightly higher than July’s 46.8%, it missed the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 47.9%.

Timothy Fiore, chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee stated:

“While still in contraction territory, U.S. manufacturing activity contracted slower compared to last month. Demand continues to be weak, output declined, and inputs stayed accommodative.”

Despite the index indicating contraction in manufacturing, Fiore noted that a reading above 42.5% typically suggests overall economic expansion. Last month’s weaker-than-expected report triggered a sharp market downturn, leading to an 8.5% drop in the S&P 500 before a partial recovery. Following the latest ISM data release on September 3, stocks continued to fall, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down nearly 500 points.

Our Methodology

To create our list of the best affordable stocks to buy, we used stock screeners to identify undervalued stocks with forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios below 15 as of September 16, all of which are also favored by analysts. This selection is based on the popularity of these stocks among the 912 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey. The list is arranged in ascending order, according to the number of hedge funds holding each stock.

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).

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)

Forward P/E Ratio as of September 16: 10.47

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 92

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) is a financial holding company that provides a wide range of services, including savings accounts, deposits, wealth and cash management, investment funds, online banking, and various other financial services.

Deutsche Bank upgraded Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) from Hold to Buy, raising its price target to $45. The stock has underperformed its peers in the Bank Index (BKX), falling 8.5% over the past six weeks, while the BKX gained 1%. This underperformance is mainly due to the widely publicized sale of shares by Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffett, as well as concerns over net interest income being impacted from expected rate cuts and slow loan growth across the sector. However, Deutsche Bank sees the recent drop in Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)’s share price as an attractive entry point, highlighting the stock as undervalued.

In Q2 2024, Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) added 278,000 net new checking accounts, bringing the total to over 500,000 for the first half of the year. The wealth management division gained 6,100 new relationships, while the commercial sector grew by thousands of small business accounts and hundreds of commercial banking relationships. The bank now manages $5.7 trillion in client balances, loans, deposits, and investments across its consumer and wealth management segments.

Hedge fund interest in Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) has also increased, with 92 funds holding stakes in Q2 2024, up from 82 in the previous quarter. These stakes are collectively valued at over $48 billion.

ClearBridge Investments, an investment management company, released its first quarter 2024 investor letter. Here is what the fund said:

“We added several new positions during the quarter. Our largest new addition was Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC), one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving some 66 million consumer and small business clients across the U.S. as well as large corporations, financial institutions and governments globally. We believe that the interest rate pressure that Bank of America faced in early 2023 has subsided, and risks surrounding deposit outflows have abated, which should allow the company to improve its book value and capital growth as well as benefit from a rebound of capital markets activity.”

Overall BAC ranks 1st on our list of the best affordable stocks to buy. While we recognize the potential of BAC as an investment, we believe certain deeply undervalued AI stocks offer greater prospects for higher returns in a shorter period. If you’re seeking an AI stock with even more promise than BAC and trading at less than 5 times its earnings,  check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article was originally published on Insider Monkey.