I have spent the last few days screening for portfolio stocking stuffers, low-priced stocks that have a good chance to beat the market in the year ahead. I looked at some investing ideas with price tags under $10, under $5, and even under $3 last week. Can I go even lower?
Velo3D (VLD 5.93%) and Vacasa (VCSA +0.00%) are two stocks that begin the week priced below $2 a share. Are they risky? Sure. Stocks don't trade for pocket change by accident. However, they are promising companies with the potential to deliver outsize gains in 2023.
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1. Velo3D
You may not remember this, but there was a feeding frenzy for 3D printing stocks that culminated nine holiday seasons ago. The hype is gone, but it doesn't mean that there aren't companies generating healthy growth in this niche. Velo3D isn't a household name, but largely because you and I aren't its target audience. Velo3D makes additive manufacturing solutions for the aerospace, aviation, industrial power, and oil and gas industries.
Its Sapphire line of metal printers helps companies generate mission-critical parts cheaper -- and more importantly, faster -- than they would be to secure from third-party suppliers. The ability to generate replacement parts in-house is sending a lot of manufacturers to Velo3D, and the year-over-year gains have been explosive.
The stock shed nearly half of its value last month after the company posted disappointing financial results. Revenue did more than double, soaring 119% to $19.1 million. Unfortunately it was considerably below the $24.2 million that analysts were expecting. Velo3D also slashed its full-year guidance. Earlier this year, Velo3D was looking for its top line to more than triple to $89 million in annual revenue. A slowdown in recent months finds Velo3D now targeting $75 million to $80 million in revenue for all of 2022.
The key now is to keep new bookings coming, a challenge in an economy where customers may be holding back on big-ticket purchases. However, for a company whose value proposition is literally that time equals money, one would hope that Velo3D is still in the plans for companies that can't afford substantial downtime when a unique part fails.
2. Vacasa
You've done well in life, and you finally have a vacation home. It's only natural to want to monetize your second home when you're not there, and that's where Vacasa knocks on the door. The company offers various vacation rental management services. You can lean on it to handle cleanings after a guest checks out or to make repairs when things break. Vacasa will also help schedule properties across various travel portals including owner-booked entries. If you need to buy or sell a vacation home, Vacasa can also help with those real estate needs.
There are more than 35,000 properties in 400 different travel destinations partnering with Vacasa. Revenue growth was strong in 2020 -- up 64% -- when folks realized that they could shelter in place far from the company office or the schools that children were attending remotely. Top-line gains accelerated in 2021, rising 81% the year that Vacasa went public.
Growth has slowed lately, with revenue climbing just 25% in its latest quarter. Profitability has been inconsistent, but Vacasa feels that it will deliver positive adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in 2023. Decelerating growth isn't fatal, and Vacasa still expects the number of properties on its platform to increase by 20% this year. This is not shabby overall.
