Newer investors sometimes don't have a lot of money to invest, making stocks with high per-share prices difficult to invest in. That's a shame because it puts many great companies out of reach. On the flip side, low share prices can also entice inexperienced investors to buy shares of terrible companies simply because the low price meets their budget.

The good news is that there's no correlation between stock price and quality. For those who can put at least $100 to work in the market, here are two stocks to consider, each with their own reasons for being compelling buys right now. 

1. Roku

This may seem like a strange choice considering that its recent share price of $68 is 86% off its early 2021 high. That fall from grace is due to a combination of factors, some that are internal and others that are external.

Roku (ROKU 3.32%) saw its valuation soar during the pandemic-induced mania a few years back, pushing the stock into a valuation that was going to be difficult to live up to. In recent quarters, Roku has struggled with profitability and a softening advertising market.

For a stock priced for perfection, the resulting crash was unsurprising. However, there were some bright spots in Roku's recently reported Q2 2023 results.

After two consecutive quarters of sub-1% year-over-year revenue growth, Roku's Q2 2023 result jumped to 11%. The company is also guiding for 7% growth in Q3. These are not knock-your-socks-off results, but the stock no longer trades for a premium valuation, so any progress is encouraging and worth noting.

Roku also made progress on the bottom line. After seeing its net loss reach $237 million in Q4 of 2022, that improved to a loss of $194 million in Q1 of 2023 and a loss of $108 million in Q2 of 2023. Again, no one should be thrilled about a net loss but the company is heading back toward positive territory, if slowly.

The biggest reason for hope lies in Roku's user metrics, which continue to impress. The number of active accounts grew by 17% in Q2, while the total hours streamed grew by 21%.

Neither of these results should be a surprise, as they've both grown steadily for years. This demonstrates the popularity of the Roku platform, even as the business struggles in other areas. 

Roku currently trades for only 3x sales, significantly lower than its historical average of 11 times. This is a riskier investment, considering the recent results and present challenges, but a small position could make sense for patient investors who believe in the business.

2. Etsy

E-commerce marketplace Etsy (ETSY 1.09%) has had a similar fall from its high. Its recent share price of $96 represents a drop of 68% from late 2021.

Recently, Etsy has been working to become a "House of Brands," with acquisitions over the last few years of musical instrument marketplace Reverb, fashion reseller Depop, and a Brazilian company called Elo7, which is similar to Etsy. Unfortunately, these acquisitions haven't worked out well. Recently, Etsy announced it would be selling Elo7, writing off $1 billion in the process. 

Putting aside these acquisitions and the financial struggles that resulted, Etsy is still a well-known brand that offers buyers and sellers a unique experience. Even in a world where Amazon has become "the everything store," Etsy has held its own and proven to be a unique shopping experience. 

The metrics to keep an eye on in this regard are active buyers and active sellers. In Q1 of 2023, both of these cohorts grew modestly, with buyers increasing by 0.4% and sellers increasing by 4%. However, the small increase in active buyers was the first time the company saw year-over-year growth since Q4 of 2021. This was helped by the fact that 6 million buyers reactivated an account. This could be the start of a positive trend, but only time will tell.

There's no doubt that Etsy has a unique place in the e-commerce marketplace. The question is how it grows from here. With a price-to-sales ratio of 5, shares aren't  cheap -- but they are below their historical average. However, similarly to Roku, there could be a bright future for patient investors.