A 10-dollar bill can go a long way these days. There's no shortage of stocks trading in the single digits. Most of them are rubbish. I should know. I've been panning for gold in these waters for 15 years, and many of the low-priced stocks that I have singled out eventually fizzled out.
However, every once in a while, you come across a real gem that becomes a multi-bagger: more than offsetting the picks that didn't go your way.
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Let's give it another shot. Here are a few stocks under $10 that have the potential to make some noise in 2016 and beyond. The risks should be fairly obvious. These stocks aren't waffling about in the single digits without a good reason. However, you've got to start your run to greatness somewhere. Let's check out five interesting stocks that fit the bill -- the 10-dollar bill.
Sirius XM Radio (SIRI +0.00%) -- $3.65
Despite its low price, Sirius XM has been one of the market's biggest winners over the past six years. The only game in town when it comes to satellite radio has seen its stock soar 73-fold since bottoming out at a nickel in early 2009.
Sirius XM was on the brink of bankruptcy then, but that's certainly not the case now. It's rattled off 19 consecutive quarters of positive earnings, according to data from S&P Capital IQ. There were 29.6 million subscribers by the end of last year.
Fears that satellite radio would be a transitory technology have faded. The connected car is now an ally instead of an enemy. Trading at a reasonable 24 times forward earnings -- given its ability to scale and the potential for subscription rate increases and new revenue streams -- Sirius XM is a compelling value here.
Frontier Communications (FTR +0.00%) -- $4.19
We live in a world of cord cutters, and regional telcos toiling away for scraps in rural markets are feeling the pain. Frontier is seeing folks get rid of their landlines and even their cable television subscriptions.
Some will argue that the 81-year-old company is on borrowed time, but investors buying into Frontier for its generous 10% yield are hoping that there's more juice in the company that just doubled down in its niche by agreeing to acquire Verizon's wireline, broadband, and FiOS assets in three of the country's most populous states.
Square (SQ +0.10%) -- $9.81
One of last year's most hyped IPOs has had a humbling two months of public trading. Transaction enabler Square had to settle to go public at $9 after initially seeking a valuation between $11 and $13, but opened in the double digits. That's where it closed every day until slipping into the single digits in three of the past four trading days.
The market would've been more receptive of Square had it gone public a couple of years ago, but now with tech and banking giants all over this niche it's getting harder to stand out. Growth is decelerating, and losses are mounting.
However, with the stock now in the single digits it does present a compelling value. The same company that was valued at a cool $6 billion is now available for a little more than half that sum, and with revenue now north of $1 billion and deficits starting to narrow it seems to be the time to buy not sell Square.
Kandi Technologies (KNDI +0.28%) -- $7.88
Few countries need electric vehicles as much as China given the massive air pollution problems in its largest cities. China's government is offering fat subsidies on plug-in vehicles with kinder payouts for buyers of homegrown rides. Sorry, Elon Musk.
Kandi's toiling away in the low end, focusing largely on auto-sharing programs where it teams up with municipalities to offer cheap rentals by the hour. It's working. Kandi's revenue is growing, and it has posted six consecutive profitable quarters.
There are certainly risks with buying into Chinese growth stocks, but Kandi seems to be in the right place just ahead of the right time. That has often been the secret to success in snapping up the right low-priced stocks.
