The stock market is ripe with opportunities right now. Solid stocks are trading at reduced valuations, and there could be some impressive gains to be made. Even if you're not overly patient and willing to wait, there are some stocks that could start to make a comeback and rally before the year is over.
Two stocks that contrarian investors may want to consider right now are GoodRx Holdings (GDRX +4.04%) and Airbnb (ABNB +2.75%). While they're both down more than 35% this year, they could be great buys today.
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1. GoodRx
Shares of GoodRx have slid an incredible 77% since the start of the year. It's a mammoth correction in the stock's price, which nosedived this month after the company released its latest earnings numbers.
The results didn't worry investors as much as the uncertainty ahead. In the earnings report, management noted that due to actions taken by an unnamed grocer, fewer discounts will be accepted.
NASDAQ: GDRX
Key Data Points
GoodRx helps customers save on prescriptions through discounts, and this new development will lead to a potential $30-million decline in revenue for the current quarter (which ends in June). The company's quarterly revenue is around $200 million, so that's a considerable chunk -- 15% of the top line.
But the guidance implies that the company is taking a conservative approach, noting that the $30 million hit is an estimate based on what GoodRx can project now. The issue only recently arose, so it's difficult to know what the real impact will be. But the company stated that it assumes the issue related to the grocer "will be ongoing without amelioration through Q2," so that suggests that there's plenty of conservatism built into this forecast.
That bodes well for contrarian investors because if there's any kind of improvement in the situation during the quarter, it could lead to a surprise result. Even if that doesn't happen in the second quarter, the situation may improve in later quarters. After all, the grocer's customers are likely struggling with rising costs, and they could put pressure on the business to change its stance.
At a price-to-sales multiple of just 4, shares of GoodRx have never traded at this much of a discount before. Even though several analysts downgraded and lowered their price targets for GoodRx this month, many of them still see the stock rising to at least $10. There's some good value in the healthcare stock right now, and that's why I'm optimistic it could outperform from here.
2. Airbnb
Airbnb's stock isn't doing as badly as GoodRx, but at a 36% loss year-to-date, that's double the 18% drop in the S&P 500. The one reason it may continue to struggle is that despite its rapid fall, the travel stock still trades at a multiple of more than 90 times earnings. And in two of the past four quarters, the company's bottom line has been in the red.
NASDAQ: ABNB
Key Data Points
However, at any fast-growing business, multiples can change over time. And there are a couple of things that make the stock look promising. First of all, the gross margin is up around 80%. That means $0.80 of every dollar Airbnb generates in revenue can help cover operating cost and overhead and potentially make its way to the bottom line. As the business grows and expands, Airbnb's bottom line should improve.
Secondly, the busy summer travel season is coming up. And a recent travel report from credit card company Mastercard suggests that it could be a busy one. According to its survey, 54% of people were looking to book a big "makeup" trip for not having traveled much over the past two years. Its data also found that both short- and medium-haul leisure-flight bookings were up past pre-pandemic levels. As of April, short-haul flights were up 25% compared to 2019 while medium-haul flights were 27% higher.
All this could pave the way for a strong travel season that leads to lots of activity on Airbnb's booking platform this year. The online lodging company is not just a good contrarian option, but also a promising recovery stock to hold as the economy returns to normal.
