After one of the longest bull markets in history, stocks finally began to revert to the mean late last year, and many did so in a big way. The upside, though, is that this pronounced marketwide downturn created a number of outstanding buying opportunities for investors with a long-term mind-set.
With this theme in mind, we asked three of our Motley Fool contributors which stocks they think are flat-out bargains in the wake of this indiscriminate sell-off. They picked Amarin (AMRN +1.42%), Baidu (BIDU +0.86%), and Tailored Brands (TLRD +0.00%). Read on to find out why.
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The luck of the Irish
George Budwell (Amarin): Unlike most other biotech stocks, shares of the Irish biopharma Amarin actually performed quite well in 2018. Over the last 12 months, for instance, the biopharma's shares have appreciated by a jaw-dropping 334%. Even so, Amarin's red-hot stock still has a long way to go before it can be considered expensive or even fairly valued for that matter.
What's the scoop? Amarin's shares took flight late last year following a positive readout for the company's prescription fish oil pill, Vascepa, in a large cardiovascular outcomes trial called Reduce-It. Reduce-It's favorable top-line results attracted investors in droves for two underlying reasons.
First and foremost, Vascepa now appears like it could be a straightforward and cost-effective way to significantly decrease mortality rates among patients with stubbornly high triglyceride levels. As proof, Vascepa reportedly retails for $349 for a 30-day supply, which pales in comparison to the cost of an extended hospital stay stemming from a heart attack or stroke.
Secondly, Vascepa has the potential to enter one of the largest and most lucrative markets in all of healthcare following these stellar late-stage trial results. Several of the best-selling medications of all time, after all, target patients prone to developing cardiovascular disease. So, while Vascepa's current peak sales projection of $2.5 billion is certainly nothing to sneeze at, this novel fish oil pill may even go on to surpass this stately sales estimate within the next five to 10 years.
Bottom line: Amarin seems destined to continue its recent growth spurt, thanks to Vascepa's outstanding top-line results in REDUCE-IT. As such, bargain-hunters might want to scoop up some shares soon.
Check out the latest Amarin earnings call transcript.
A cheap way to play big tech trends in China
Keith Noonan (Baidu): Baidu shares have lost roughly a third of their value over the last year and now trade at just 15 times this year's expected earnings. That big slide has taken place even as the company has continued to post strong earnings growth and make progress with promising innovation initiatives.
Baidu enjoys a commanding position in the Chinese search market and should continue to benefit as more of the country's advertising spending migrates to online channels. The company's dominance in the search space also gives it access to a tremendous amount of data that can be used to build and improve artificial intelligence systems, and it's also working in conjunction with the Chinese government on a range of AI and autonomous vehicle projects. Baidu's search business accounted for roughly three-quarters of revenue and grew 25% year over year last quarter, but there's still lots of growth potential for the company as it plays a leading role in those emerging technologies and builds out its cloud service offerings.
Chinese tech stocks have been hit hard over the last year as slowing economic growth, trade disputes with the U.S, and concerns from investors that many companies provide limited visibility into business and accounting practices have led to a staunchly bearish market environment. These dynamics are ongoing, and the country's tech sector could continue to see volatile performance, but investors who see promise there have an opportunity to purchase one of the country's most promising tech companies at an attractive price.
Check out the latest Baidu earnings call transcript.
Too cheap to ignore
Jeremy Bowman (Tailored Brands): If you've followed Tailored Brands, the parent of Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, at all over the past few years, you may think of the stock as a disaster as shares are down 76% over the last five years.
Indeed, the stock plunged after the two menswear brands merged, but the company has closed down stores, changed management, reduced debt, and honed its focus on initiatives like custom suiting to deliver positive comps and solid profits. In its most recent earnings report, comparable sales ticked up 2.3% and adjusted earnings per share increased from $0.75 to $1.01.
Shares have plunged over the last few months as the company cut its guidance in its third-quarter earnings report and then revised it down again on Monday.
However, that sell-off presents a stock trading at undeniable value. Based on its projected adjusted earnings per share of $2.25-$2.30 for the current year, the stock is trading at a P/E of just 5.3. With $290 million in trailing free cash flow, Tailored Brands stock is even cheaper on a price-to-free cash flow basis of just 2.1. That means investors are paying just a $1 for nearly $0.50 in annual cash profits, and analysts expect profits to rise next year.
Throw in a dividend yield at 6% after the recent slide and the stock has gotten too cheap to ignore. Tailored Brands shares should continue to be volatile amid the broader market uncertainty, but there's considerable upside here for investors willing to take a risk.
Check out the latest Tailored Brands earnings call transcript.
