While most of Wall Street focuses on large-cap and mega-cap stocks, as they provide a degree of safety and liquidity, many investors are limited in the number of shares they can buy. Many of the biggest public companies, especially the technology giants, trade in the hundreds, all the way up to over $1,000 per share or more. At those steep prices, it is difficult to get any decent share count leverage.
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Many investors, especially more aggressive traders, look at lower-priced stocks as a way not only to make some good money but to get a higher share count. That can really help the decision-making process, especially when you are on to a winner, as you can always sell half and keep half.
Skeptics of low-priced shares should remember that at one point Amazon, Apple and Netflix traded in the single digits. One stock we featured over the years, Zynga, was purchased by Take-Two Interactive. Cogent Biosciences, which we featured last March, has tripled since then.
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We screened our 24/7 Wall St. research database looking for smaller cap companies that could offer patient investors some huge returns for 2023 and beyond. While these five stocks are rated Buy and have a ton of Wall Street coverage, it is important to remember that no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision.
Gap
This well-known retailer’s stock has been absolutely hammered and offers big upside. Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS | GPS Price Prediction) operates as an apparel retail company. It offers apparel, accessories and personal care products for men, women and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta brands.
The company’s products include denim and khakis; eyewear, jewelry, shoes, handbags and fragrances; and fitness and lifestyle products for use in yoga, training, sports, travel and everyday activities for women and girls. The company offers its products through company-operated stores, franchise stores, websites and third-party arrangements.
It has franchise agreements to operate Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta stores and websites in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The company also provides its products through e-commerce sites. Gap was incorporated in 1969 and is headquartered in San Francisco.
Goldman Sachs has a $14 target price on Gap stock. The consensus target is lower at $11.35, and shares last traded on Friday at $7.78.
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Helix Energy Solutions
This oil industry services stock holds solid value at current trading levels. Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (NYSE: HLX) is an offshore energy services company that provides specialty services to the industry, primarily in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea and the Asia Pacific and West Africa regions.
Helix Energy engineers, manages and conducts well intervention operations that include production enhancement and abandonment and construction in water depths ranging from 200 to 10,000 feet. It offers remotely operated vehicles, trenchers and drills for offshore construction and well intervention services. It also provides intervention engineering; inspection, repair and maintenance of production structures, trees, jumpers, risers, pipelines, subsea equipment and related support services. In addition, the company offers reclamation and remediation services, well plug and abandonment services, pipeline abandonment services and site inspections.
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The company also engages in the installation of flowlines, control umbilicals and manifold assemblies and risers; trenching and burial of pipelines; installation and tie-in of riser and manifold assembly; commissioning, testing and inspection activities; and provision of cable and umbilical lay and connection services. Additionally, the company offers oil and natural gas processing facilities and services to oil and gas companies, as well as a fast response system. It serves independent oil and gas producers and suppliers, pipeline transmission companies, renewable energy companies and offshore engineering and construction firms.
BTIG Research has set its price target at $10, while Helix Energy Solutions Group stock has an $11.00 consensus target. Shares closed at $6.69 on Friday.
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iQiyi
Many top analysts feel that shares of this company could explode higher soon. iQiyi Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) provides online entertainment services under the iQiyi brand in the People’s Republic of China. The company offers various products and services, including internet video, online games, live broadcasting, online literature, animations, e-commerce and a social media platform.
The company operates a platform that provides a collection of internet video content, including professionally produced content licensed from professional content providers and self-produced content. iQiyi also provides membership, content distribution and online advertising services.
In addition, it operates iQiyi Show, a live broadcasting service that enables users to follow their favorite hosts, celebrities and shows in real-time through live broadcasting; and iQiyi Lite, an easy and quick access to the personalized videos based on their user preferences. Further, it is involved in the talent agency and IP licensing activities, as well as engages in developing a video community app.
Credit Suisse’s $8 target price is in line with the $8.03 consensus target. iQiyi stock last traded at $4.96 on Friday.
Robinhood Markets
This stock was the birthplace for a large part of the meme stock revolution and has continued to attract big trading volume. Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOD) operates a financial services platform in the United States that allows users to invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds ETFs), options, gold and cryptocurrencies.
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The company also offers various learning and education solutions. Snacks is a digest of business news stories; Learn is a collection of approximately 650 articles, including guides, feature tutorials and a financial dictionary; Newsfeeds offers access to free premium news from various sites, such as Barron’s, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal; and Lists allow users to create custom watchlists to monitor securities, ETFs and cryptocurrencies, as well as cash management services.
Robinhood Markets stock has a $25 price target at JMP Securities. The consensus is lower at $11.61. The shares closed on Friday at $8.47.
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Skillsoft
This company has attracted a ton of attention across Wall Street. Skillsoft Corp. (NYSE: SKIL) provides corporate digital learning services in the United States and internationally. Its enterprise learning solutions prepare organizations for the future of work, as well as enable them to overcome critical skill gaps, drive demonstrable behavior change and unlock the potential in their greatest assets.
In addition, Skillsoft provides various platform capabilities, such as open platform, custom channels and journeys, administrator-promoted content, and flexible assignments, tracking and in-depth reporting, training groups, and records management. Further, the company offers learning management systems and talent management software.
The company has seen a strong increase in insider buying over the last year, and with its current low price, more could be on the way.
Barclays has an Overweight rating and a $3.50 target price. The consensus price target is set lower at $3.40. On Friday, Skillsoft stock last traded at $1.72 Friday.
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These are five stocks for aggressive investors looking to get share count leverage on companies that have sizable upside potential. While not suited for all investors, they are not penny stocks with absolutely no track record or liquidity, and major Wall Street firms have research coverage.
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