If you can invest $10,000 in the stock market today, it's a great amount to start out with because it's enough to buy a good mix of quality stocks. And if I were to do so, I would aim for a blend of dividends, stability, and long-term growth.
Three investments that could provide that balance are the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV +0.14%), Verizon Communications (VZ +1.48%), and Cresco Labs (CRLBF +2.44%). Here's how much I would invest in each.
Vanguard Value ETF: $7,000
A good exchange-traded fund (ETF) can give investors a solid pillar for their portfolios over the long haul. The Vanguard Value ETF holds 340 stocks, and with an average price-to-earnings multiple of just under 16, investors are getting some good value, as the fund's name implies.
There's also excellent diversification with financial, healthcare, and industrial companies making up the majority of the portfolio at just over 51% of the total holdings.
NYSEMKT: VTV
Key Data Points
Investors get access to many top stocks in the fund, including Berkshire Hathaway, UnitedHealth Group, and ExxonMobil. The fund focuses on large value stocks, and that's why it's appropriate for this to make up the largest portion of a portfolio.
As many investors chase hot tech stocks with high valuations this year, the Vanguard Value ETF can provide you with a much more stable place for the bulk of an investment. It also pays a dividend yielding 2.6%.
Year to date, the ETF is up 2.5%, which is much less than the S&P 500's gain of almost 19%. But this can be an excellent ETF to hold, especially if you're risk averse or worried about a crash. In a more challenging economy, investors could seek out value stocks, and the Vanguard Value ETF holds many of them.
Verizon Communications: $3,000
A high-yielding dividend stock such as Verizon can give investors another great option. Its 7.7% yield is attractive, and even on a $3,000 investment, you can earn more than $230 per year in dividend income. That's not bad, all while holding one of the top telecom stocks in the country.
NYSE: VZ
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Lately, however, telecoms have come under pressure amid a recent report from The Wall Street Journal about lead cables and the potential for companies such as Verizon and AT&T to face significant expenses for a related cleanup. It does pose a risk to Verizon, but it's a liability that might be shared not only among the entire industry but potentially with the government as well. That's why I'm not overly concerned about Verizon because this could be a situation that takes years to sort out, and if there are any settlements, the payments could be spread over several more years.
I believe investors are reacting harshly to these developments, and that makes Verizon a good contrarian investment right now. As a leading telecom with a high yield and a low payout ratio of around 50%, it makes for an underrated dividend stock. At less than seven times earnings, investors have already priced a lot of bearishness into Verizon's stock.
Cresco Labs: $1,000
Assuming you have more than just a few investing years left, it could also be a good idea to set aside part of your portfolio for a potential 10-bagger investment, the type that has some risk but also a ton of upside. That's where Cresco Labs fits in.
The cannabis producer is a top multi-state operator in the U.S. that can benefit as more states legalize marijuana -- and with the long-shot possibility that the federal government lifts the ban on pot.
Marijuana stocks are in the dumps right now, and Cresco Labs is no exception. Its share price is down 44% over the past 12 months as investors have lost hope on federal legalization, and cannabis companies are struggling to generate growth amid inflation.
OTC: CRLBF
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But it's this troubling outlook that makes Cresco and other pot stocks more appealing buys. Their valuations are no longer inflated, and Cresco is trading at less than its book value. With a market value of about $530 million, it wouldn't be hard to see a path for the company to potentially be worth 10 times that amount.
Analysts at Fortune Business Insights project that the global cannabis market will be worth $444 billion by 2030, which is close to 10 times more than in 2022. Cresco is a leading company in the industry, and if all it does is manage to grow at the same pace as the industry, it may end up being a 10-bagger.
Make no mistake: Cresco is the riskiest stock on this list. It reported a net loss of $215.1 million last year, and revenue of $842.7 million only rose by 2.6%; growth remains a problem for the business. This is why I would allocate just $1,000 to this investment, reflecting the risk that comes with the stock.
There's considerable potential with Cresco Labs, but in the worst-case scenario, if the stock goes to $0, the other two investments listed here could help make up for those losses. By managing this risk, there's a way to make room for these types of investments in any portfolio.
