Stocks to buy
  • If you’re wondering what stocks to buy for $20, then we have some names for you.
  • Ford (F): The legacy carmaker is making waves with its EV production.
  • Vermilion Energy (VET): Oil and natural gas prices are spiking because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
  • Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). This holding company offers an attractive dividend.
Source: Voronina Svetlana / Shutterstock

One interesting thing about the stock market is that there’s an equity out there for everyone. Do you like energy stocks? Bank stocks? Maybe you’re into tech stocks, or large-cap names. Maybe you love real estate investment trusts or initial public offerings. Or maybe you’re an investor who plays with exchange traded funds, mutual funds or index funds. Whatever you like, there’s a stock — or a dozen — that is right for you.

Some stocks on the market are tremendously expensive — think Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A) Class A shares priced at more than $460,000, or Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), which currently is at $2,172. And then you can even find penny stocks that are a buck, or much less.

For this exercise, I screened for mid-cap and large-cap stocks that are priced at $20 or less. I limited the screen to stocks that have a one-year return of 10% or better. And because I wanted to find good value, I also limited the screen to names that have a price-to-earnings (PE) ratios of less than 16.

Here are three stocks to buy for less than $20 that are can’t-miss picks:

F Ford Motor Company $13.14
VET Vermilion Energy Inc. $18.23
MUFG Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. $5.74

Stocks to Buy for $20: Ford (F)

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I’ve gone back and forth on Ford Motor (NYSE:F) since I’ve followed the market. I was bullish on Ford a few years ago, but the company was a major disappointment for the last half of the 2010s. What has changed?

Well, I really like what Ford is doing with electric vehicles (EVs). Ford realizes that EVs are a path toward future growth and profitability, so it makes perfect sense to transform the company’s product lines and factories to support electrification. Ford is spending $22 billion on the effort through 2025. And it says all vehicles it sells in Europe will be electric by 2030.

Last week, the company started production of the electric F-150 Lightning pickup in Dearborn, Michigan. The F-150 is the best-selling pickup in the U.S. and Ford already has more than 200,000 reservations for the F-150 Lightning.

Even though Ford has been hit hard by the semiconductor shortage, Ford stock is up 11.3% over the last 12 months. And it has a dirt-cheap PE ratio of 4.58.

Vermilion Energy (VET)

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Based in Calgary, Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) is an oil and gas producer with operations in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. The company focuses on light oil and natural gas production in Canada and the U.S., natural gas exploration in the Netherlands and Germany, and oilfields in Australia and France. The company also has a 20% interest in the Corrib gas field in Ireland.

Oil and natural gas prices are on an upswing. This is in large part due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the pressure it is putting on European countries that are assisting Kiev. That will only help VET stock moving forward.

Scotiabank analyst Galvin Wylie raised his firm’s price target on VET stock from $27 CAD to $30 CAD while keeping a “sector perform” ranking. And National Bank analyst Travis Wood raised his firm’s priced target from $34 CAD all the way to $53 CAD, keeping an “outperform” rating.

VET stock up 98.5% in the last 12 months and currently has a PE ratio of 3.31.

Stocks to Buy for $20: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG)

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE:MUFG) is a holding company that provides financial services in retail, corporate and investment banking. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, was founded in 2001. It operates in more than 50 countries and regions and maintains about $3 trillion in assets.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) recently upgraded its rating on MUFG stock from “neutral” to “buy” and set a new price target of 840 yen from it is previous target of 750 yen. Bank of America said the company’s 4% dividend makes it the highest among Japan’s major bank stocks.

MUFG stock is up 6.3% over the last 12 months and the stock is priced at an attractive PE ratio of 6.1.

On the date of publication, Patrick Sanders did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

Patrick Sanders is a freelance writer and editor in Maryland, and from 2015 to 2019 was head of the investment advice section at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter at @1patricksanders.

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