Investors just getting started might not have a lot of cash to put into the stock market right now. Inflation continues to challenge many household budgets, and finding the money for investing might not be a priority for some. But smart readers know the importance of just getting started with investing.
The good news is many brokerages make it easy to start with any amount of money, even just $100. Some will let you buy fractional shares, which could come in handy these days when it seems finding a stock trading for less than $100 per share is getting harder and harder. Still, there’s something to be said about owning a full share of a company’s stock; it can make you feel like a true shareholder.
Here are three no-brainer stocks to buy now for less than $100 to get you started.
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1. PayPal
PayPal (PYPL 0.38%) saw its business boom amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as consumer behavior normalized, the company has seen some headwinds for further growth.
Notably, its branded checkout, where you click the PayPal button on an e-commerce site instead of typing in your credit card details, has seen its growth slow to a crawl. Total payment volume through its branded checkout service increased just 6% year over year in the second quarter. That’s notable, because the profits on branded checkout are much higher than unbranded card processing, which now accounts for the bulk of PayPal’s total payment processing business.
But the impact of slow branded checkout on PayPal’s stock price may be overblown. Mizuho analyst Dan Dolev points out only a few large merchants have grown sales faster than PayPal’s branded checkout, suggesting PayPal’s still winning a large share of sales.
What’s more, PayPal has the built-in advantage of operating a two-sided network of merchants and consumers. Consumers trust PayPal, they find it convenient, and in turn that attracts merchants to the service. The checkout rates for customers using PayPal are consistently higher than for those not using it, which directly impacts merchants’ bottom lines. That should provide long-term staying power despite increased competition.
At its current stock price of about $81, shares trade for less than 17 times forward earnings estimates. With its strong position in the growing e-commerce market, it’s sure to see meaningful revenue growth over the long run. The network it’s built should help protect its margins, ensuring earnings grow at least in line with revenue moving forward. That makes the current price a great bargain.
2. CarMax
CarMax (KMX -0.80%) has faced a challenging environment over the last few years as interest rates have climbed and remained high. The auto seller has had to deal with the fact that inflation and higher rates for auto loans have made it harder to afford a new (or used) car.
There are some signs the company is starting to bounce back. Comparable-store unit sales increased 4.3% year over year last quarter, the highest rate since 2022. That was offset by a decrease in average selling price of 4.6%. Importantly for investors, gross profit per vehicle remained stable despite the decline in prices, which means a higher gross margin. Gross margin contracted from 2021 through 2023 due to high acquisition costs, but the continued recovery is encouraging.
CarMax’s financing arm is also facing a challenging environment. An increased provision for loan losses weighed on its net income. As a result, the reported earnings from CarMax Auto Finance (CAF) fell 14.4% last quarter. Management noted it’s an industrywide challenge, but considering subprime loans aren’t a big part of CAF’s business, actual results could lead to better reported earnings results in the future.
CarMax’s business model has proven difficult to replicate, despite new challengers entering the market. Challengers are more likely to win share from traditional dealers, as the customer-friendly approach of straightforward pricing is often preferred by consumers. As such, CarMax should be able to steadily grow revenue over the long run while gross margin returns to pre-pandemic levels over time as supply returns to normal.
Analysts are expecting a strong recovery in earnings next year, but the stock trades at just 19 times the consensus for fiscal 2026 earnings at the current price of about $72. While investors should expect slow and steady earnings growth after next year, that price still looks very attractive today.
3. Roku
Roku (ROKU 1.66%) is the leading connected-TV platform in the United States, accounting for 47% of time spent streaming, more than three times more than the next-largest competitor. It’s also the No. 1 selling TV operating system in Mexico and Canada. And engagement is only growing on the platform, up 20% year over year last quarter.
But Roku has seen pressure on its operating income amid a challenging advertising environment while working to keep its device prices low in order to maximize the scale of the business. As a result, the business went from positive net income of $242 million 2021 to a net loss of $710 million in 2023.
But Roku appears to be turning a corner. Net losses are improving in 2024, and its core user metrics are strong. It added 2 million new users last quarter, and engagement per household is up, too. Monetization remains flat relative to last year, but it’s only a matter of time for it to start growing again. Management expects its all-important platform revenue growth to accelerate in 2025, as advertising demand recovers and it expands its advertising inventory with new products.
The long-term outlook for Roku remains strong as more and more viewing time shifts from linear TV to streaming. Media companies are making deals to push more users to streaming services, where they can control more of the user experience, viewer data, and advertising. But Roku, with 47% of the market, is an important partner in all of that. As the pie grows, Roku should see its share grow bigger and bigger over time.
Roku’s stock currently trades around $75, which values the company at less than 3 times sales. That’s on the low end of its historic multiple despite expectations for strong acceleration in sales and clear progress toward becoming profitable again at scale.
Adam Levy has positions in CarMax and Roku. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends CarMax, PayPal, and Roku. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short December 2024 $70 calls on PayPal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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