You don't have to be rich to make an investment. Some fantastic stocks are available for less than $20 per share. Since most stock brokerages don't charge fees for each trade, that means you can pick up some great stocks -- one share at a time, whenever you can afford it.
If you're not sure where to start, I'll show you a couple of rock-solid tech stocks under $20 per share that should serve you well for a long time. In fact, that Andrew Jackson bill will get you more than one share of these stocks, or one of each if that's what you prefer. They even pay robust dividends!
Recent price for LM Ericsson: $7.24
Swedish telecommunications expert Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC 2.64%) has been around for a while. In fact, the stock is so experienced that its ultra-low share price is a side effect of the dot-com crash in the year 2000. The business was booming around the turn of the millennium, inspiring the company to split its stock three times in five years. When that bubble popped, Ericsson's friendly share prices became a problem that even a 1-for-10 reverse split in 2002 couldn't cover up.
The company shifted gears along the way, turning away from the consumer market to focus on the infrastructure side of the telecom sector instead. 4G networks are still important, but the focus has shifted to the 5G version of wireless networks. Ericsson's global market share for 5G radio access networks (RAN) stands at 50%, excluding the Chinese market. Regulators in the Middle Kingdom banned Ericsson's equipment in retaliation for the Swedish government canceling purchases of Huawei and ZTE gear.
5G networks are becoming popular in many advanced economies, but even the best implementations still have a long way to go before you can call them complete. Then, developing nations will follow suit. And of course, Ericsson and friends are already busy developing the next generation of wireless technology, which should provide a powerful financial platform for the next decade or so.
And don't forget that Ericsson is positioning itself as a leading provider of cloud-based communications, too. The $6.2 billion buyout of cloud communications pioneer Vonage closed in July 2022 and should boost Ericsson's bottom-line profits starting in 2024. The Vonage deal is a smart move as it allows Ericsson to lead the telecom industry's fundamental changes from the front.
You can invest in this exciting network technology company for less than $8 per share today. The stock trades at just 11 times trailing earnings and 1.1 times sales, and the low share prices have driven Ericsson's effective dividend yield up to 4.4%. You can grab at least two Ericsson shares for the price of a decent pizza.
Recent LG Display price: $5.46
Seoul-based LG Display (LPL 1.05%) is one of the world's largest manufacturers of LCD panels and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens. OLED technology researcher Universal Display (OLED 0.65%) may be a more direct play on the burgeoning OLED revolution, but that stock is changing hands for more than $100 per share today. So if your funds are limited, or you simply prefer to invest in lower-priced tickers, LG Display might be the perfect stock for you.
The company is facing low unit sales of important end-user products such as TV sets and high-end smartphones. These items are a hard sell due to raging inflation trends around the globe and a long-running shortage of semiconductor components. However, consumer demand is strong enough to deliver rising revenues for OLED TV screens. And when the supply chain perks up again, LG Display should be poised to flourish in a healthier market.
Meanwhile, the stock trades at the bargain-bin valuation of 0.2 times trailing sales and 10 times free cash flow. Share prices are down 46% year to date and the dividend yield has surged to 4.8%. In this case, you're buying an LG Display share or a frozen pizza from the supermarket's store brand. The stock should be an easy choice.
