If all the market's bearish rhetoric doesn't have you rattled, good for you! Stocks could well have further to fall, but waiting for what looks like the ultimate low is a fool's errand. Trying to time the market often costs more than it benefits you -- we only know where a bear market bottom is for sure until after the fact.
So if you're sitting on $2,000 you know you won't need anytime soon, here are three smart stocks to buy now. (But they would be just as buy-worthy whether stocks were raging higher or imploding at this time.)
1. SolarEdge Technologies
The solar power industry has made great strides in just the past few years, mostly on the back of improvements in efficiency (and therefore the cost-effectiveness) of solar panels. This progress, however, exposes a relatively new impasse for the solar energy movement: We don't manage the electricity these systems produce all that well. Enter SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG -2.76%).
In simplest terms, SolarEdge makes residential and localized solar-power systems work to benefit homeowners and building owners. The company's power inverters connect seamlessly with its smart energy-management app, allowing solar panel users to increase or decrease power production, store power for use at a later time, or even sell electricity back to a utility company.
Its technology also connects directly to EV charging stations. It's the sort of flexibility first envisioned when solar panels started becoming relatively common years ago. The need for such solutions is demonstrated by SolarEdge's projected revenue growth of 58% for this year, which should be followed by 29% top-line growth next year.
The stock's recent performance has been hot and cold -- and arguably more cold than hot. It's still just the beginning, though. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that only about 5% of the nation's electricity currently comes from solar power, but that proportion should reach 20% by 2050. To get there, it's going to take solutions like SolarEdge Technologies' energy management tools. Just be prepared to stick with the stock for the long haul.
2. Costco
Walmart has done a seemingly great job of countering and even thwarting expansion from club-based retailer Costco Wholesale (COST -0.86%). Not only does Walmart continue to operate is own warehouse-retailing operation under the Sam's Club banner, but the advent of Walmart+ also appeals to consumers who don't mind paying membership fees for the right perks.
But none of these efforts are slowing Costco down. As of the end of last month, the company was operating 842 warehouses, 579 of which are in the United States. Both numbers are well up from the 783 and 544 stores, respectively, it had as of the same month in pre-COVID 2019; that's tremendous growth in light of all that's happened in the meantime.
Costco currently has 118.9 million paying members in 65.8 million households, up from 98.5 million cardholders and 53.9 million households three years prior. It's a testament to the value Costco brings to its customers.
There's no reason to expect this growth to slow down anytime soon, either.
The key is Costco's relatively small size. Walmart currently operates 4,720 stores in the all-important U.S. market alone, plus another 600 Sam's Clubs. It's going to be tough to add to that physical footprint without cannibalizing its existing units.
That's not the case for Costco, however. At only about a tenth the size of Walmart's U.S. footprint, Costco still has lots of room to expand. It could expand into much of Walmart's turf and steal market share. It just has to keep making its membership fees worth the cost, which hasn't been a problem for the company yet.
3. Microsoft
Lastly, add Microsoft (MSFT -1.42%) to your list of smart stocks to buy now, after its 12-month 30% pullback in price. That's about as much discounting as can be expected from a blue chip of this ilk.
Yes, the company is waving many of the same red flags its technology peers are. In August, it told its managers to pare back training and travel spending, and in October Microsoft confirmed it was laying off nearly 1,000 employees. Revenue guidance for the current quarter called for a tepid 2% increase when it was released last month, with CEO Satya Nadella cautioning shareholders about "increasing headwinds."
As Nadella also said, however, these are only cyclical headwinds that will eventually abate.
The worst-case scenario may already be priced into its stock. Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss wrote earlier this week, "While investors worry forward numbers have not been de-risked, we see a strong (and durable) demand signal in the commercial businesses, which should lead to improving revenue and EPS growth in [the second half of 2023]." Weiss pointed to encouraging trends within the commercial market -- like the need for tech investments to save money -- that promise to reaccelerate revenue and earnings growth in the latter half of the current fiscal year.
Meanwhile, you can step into this proven long-term stock at a mere 21 times next year's expected per-share earnings, which is about as cheap as it's been in years.
