We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Stocks Under $100 To Invest In. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) stands against the other best stocks under $100.
Wall Street experts believe that mid-cap stocks might be well-placed for a strong run-up. As per Ryan Detrick (Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group), historically, midcaps outperform once the US Fed actually initiates cutting rates. According to him, the small and mid-caps are expected to surge up to 20% over the upcoming 12 months, far exceeding the large-cap counterparts.
Furthermore, Goldman Sachs believes that mid-caps outperform large- and small-cap stocks over the 12 months after the first rate cut. As market experts continue to expect a soft landing, the investors might look for other options apart from the biggest companies.
What Happened in Q3 2024 and What to Expect in Q4 2024?
As per the earnings sight report from FactSet dated 1st November, the S&P 500 continues to report mixed results. The Q3 remained strong for risk assets and safe havens, with the US markets delivering an all-time closing high to finish Q3 and bonds posting positive returns, as per JPMorgan Asset Management. Overall, the S&P 500 gaining for 4th straight quarter (making 18 new highs), and the US Treasuries and corporate bonds rallying with the decline in yields dominated much of the movements in Q3 2024. The asset management firm also added that gold saw its biggest gain since Q1 2016 (thanks to the expectations of faster rate cuts) and China’s stimulus supported equity market returns.
What is expected for Q4 2024 now? JPM believes that positive expected earnings growth, cooling inflation, easing policies of central banks, and firm job creation should help create a strong backdrop for risk assets. Wall Street analysts believe that mid-caps might be in a position to see strong growth moving forward.
READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In.
Outlook for Mid-caps
As per BofA’s Jill Carey Hall, mid-caps can be considered as the “best hedge” for the near term.
According to Hall, the mid-caps have experienced better recent guidance and revision trends and have also surpassed the small caps on average in the downturn scenarios. Mid-caps can also act as a hedge against fewer-than-expected rate cuts, considering that small caps are rate-sensitive.
According to Goldman’s Jenny Ma, the start of the rate-cut cycle remains a potential source of incremental equity demand and a boost to broader investor risk sentiment. Moreover, over the short term, mid-cap performance as compared to other segments is expected to be dependent on the strength of economic growth data, along with the pace of the easing cycle.
As per Wells Fargo, mid-cap growth stocks are technically oversold as of now. Despite this, these stocks have a significant scope to outperform. It also added that stability in their earnings, risk, liquidity, and balance sheet appear to be more attractive as compared to small caps.
With these trends in mind, let’s take a look at the 10 Best Stocks Under $100 To Invest In.
Our Methodology
To list the 10 Best Stocks Under $100 To Invest In, we first used a screener to extract stocks trading under $100. Next, we narrowed our list by selecting the ones having high hedge fund holdings. Finally, the stocks were arranged in the ascending order of their hedge fund sentiments, as of Q2 2024.
Why are we interested in 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).
A professional financial analyst studying data on a computer, illustrating the company’s index investment decisions.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)
Stock Price as of November 6: $96.08
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 70
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) operates as a roaster, marketer, and retailer of coffee.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)’s brand strength stems from its pricing power, attractive unit-level economics, and successful international replication. Wall Street remains optimistic about the leadership change. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) brought in Brian Niccol as its new Chairman and CEO. Analysts opine that his experience in fueling operational efficiencies, improving marketing strategies, and fostering product innovation should be a perfect fit for the company’s current needs.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) will continue to benefit from a healthy brand presence and customer loyalty throughout various generational cohorts. Its focus on improving throughput, enhancing digital marketing, and driving product innovation appears to be critical for maintaining and strengthening its competitive edge.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) has been emphasizing product innovation as a critical driver of customer interest and sales growth. The company’s initiatives which are focused on streamlining operations, optimizing store formats, and leveraging technology for improved efficiency are expected to yield substantial benefits.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley increased their price target on the shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) from $98.00 to $115.00, giving it an “Overweight” rating on 16th October. ClearBridge Investments, an investment management company, released its Q3 2024 investor letter. Here is what the fund said:
“Similarly, we took advantage of a business reset at Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in the third quarter to initiate a position in the global coffee retailer. A confluence of factors, including degraded store-level operations and long consumer wait times, consumer fatigue with high prices and weakening engagement among occasional Starbucks customers has led to declining U.S. same-store sales growth. While the path ahead will likely require reinvestment back into the business, there are many merits to Starbucks’ business including its strong brand name and category leading market position. In response to recent challenges, Starbucks has appointed change-agent CEO Brian Niccol, who we know from the Strategy’s ownership of Chipotle Mexican Grill during its turnaround. Niccol has a successful track record of investing in product innovation and fixing execution issues, which we believe are the primary challenges facing Starbucks today. Starbucks represents the kind of successful playbook we have executed on historically – focusing on high-quality businesses and brands while being disciplined around the entry point into investments with attractive risk-reward opportunities.”
Overall, SBUX ranks 6th on our list of the best stocks under $100 to invest in. While we acknowledge the potential of SBUX as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than SBUX 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.