Top 10 Stocks Under $20

Here at Zacks, we don't generally classify stocks as "cheap" or "expensive", and rather than looking at the stock's face value, we have a system that puts an emphasis on earnings estimate revisions to find stocks that will hopefully be winners for investors.

That being said, low-priced stocks can be attractive to smaller investors that can't necessarily afford large stakes in companies with higher priced stocks. When looking at these low-priced stocks, we can look at the same trends in growth, value, and momentum and apply the Zacks Rank to properly analyze the potential that these companies have.

Today we've highlighted ten stocks that are currently trading for under $20 per share. All of these stocks currently have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and a variety of other factors make these companies stand out as having strong upside potential. We've also spread this list across different sectors and industries so investors looking for low-priced stocks can put together a diverse portfolio.

1.       Braskem SA ( BAK )

Prior Close: $19.55

Braskem SA is the largest petrochemical operation in Latin America and among the five largest private companies in Brazil. The company's current-quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has gained five cents over the last 30 days, and based on these new figures, we expect Braskem to record EPS growth of about 300% on revenue growth of 15.69%. These metrics have helped Braskem earn an "A" grade in every category of our Style Scores system.

2.       Daktronics Inc. ( DAKT )

Prior Close: $10.29

Daktronics Inc. is one of the world's largest suppliers of electronic scoreboards, computer-programmable displays, and large screen video displays and control systems. The stock is on an impressive run right now, as shares have gained nearly 12% over the past four weeks. This has helped the company earn an "A" grade for Momentum, which has boosted its overall VGM score to "A." Furthermore, Daktronics is projected to post EPS growth of nearly 540% this fiscal year.

3.       Lufthansa German Airlines ( DLAKY )

Prior Close: $13.23

Lufthansa Airlines is autonomous unit of the larger Lufthansa Group and operates stations, check-ins, ticket sales and other services at all the major international airports. The airline industry is known for its impressive value metrics, but Lufthansa's P/E ratio of 4.95 still sticks out, and its earnings yield of 19.87% also beats the industry average handily. Overall, the stock has an "A" grade for Value, Growth, and VGM.

4.       FutureFuel Chemical Company ( FF )

Prior Close: $15.77

FutureFuel Chemical Company manufacturers diversified chemical products and bio-based products comprised of biofuels and bio-based specialty chemical products. FutureFuel's current-quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has gained three cents in the last 30 days, and the stock has earned Style Score grades of "A" for Value, Growth, and VGM. Additionally, the "Biofuels" category of businesses currently falls into the top 20% of the Zacks Industry Rank.

5.       KEMET Corporation ( KEM )

Prior Close: $6.48

KEMET Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of solid tantalum capacitors and one of the world's largest manufacturer of multilayer ceramic capacitors. The company is looking to continue its impressive earnings momentum after beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 175% last quarter, and current estimates predict that KEMET will post EPS growth of nearly 217% on revenue growth of 3.76% this quarter. KEMET is yet another stock with an overall VGM score of "A," backed by strong metrics in the Value and Growth categories.

6.       KVH Industries ( KVHI )

Prior Close: 11.80

KVH Industries is a leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communication systems for use on boats, RVs, trucks, buses, and automobiles. We are seeing solid earnings estimate revision activity for KVH's next fiscal quarter, as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for that time period has gained 30 cents over the last 60 days. The stock also has an overall VGM grade of "A" and the company has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 180.55% in each of the trailing three quarters.

7.       Sucampo Pharmaceuticals ( SCMP )

Prior Close: $15.25

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and commercialization of drugs based on prostones, a class of compounds derived from fatty acids that occur naturally in the human body. The company's current-quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has gained five cents in just the last seven days, and these updated figures indicate that Sucampo could record EPS growth of 11.36% on revenue growth of 15.58% this quarter. The stock has also earned a VGM score of "A" thanks to its "A" grades in all of our Style Scores categories.

8.       Tilly's Inc. ( TLYS )

Prior Close: 15.11

Tilly's, Inc. is a specialty retailer in the action sports industry selling clothing, shoes and accessories. The stock has gained nearly 125% year-to-date, making it one of the best performers in a retail industry that has gained just 6.43% on average. The company's current-quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has gained two cents over the last 30 days, and we now expect Tilly's to post EPS growth of nearly 87% this quarter.

9.       TTM Technologies ( TTMI )

Prior Close: $13.65

TTM Technologies provides time-critical, one-stop manufacturing services for highly complex printed circuit boards for use in routers, switches, computer memory modules, and communications infrastructure equipment. The company has earned an "A" grade for Value, Growth, and VGM, and its current-quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has gained 12 cents over the past 30 days. The updated figure now represents EPS growth of 400%.

10.   USD Partners LP ( USDP )

Prior Close: $14.90

USD Partners LP acquires, develops and operates energy-related rail terminals and other and complementary midstream infrastructure assets and businesses. The stock has gained more than 100% year-to-date, and the company is looking to continue that momentum with another impressive quarter. Current-quarter estimates point to EPS growth of 33.33% on revenue growth of 10.83%. Also, the stock has earned a VGM grade of "A" with "A" grades in Value and Growth.

Bottom Line

A stock's market price is not a clear indicator of whether it is a good investment. However, the nice thing about the Zacks Rank is that it can be applied to stocks of any price. All of the stocks highlighted here hold a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) rankings, while also possessing other qualities that help them stick out. For smaller investors looking to get into solid stocks at lower prices, this list is a great place to start and all of these companies could just be great picks going forward.

By Ryan McQueeney, December 13, 2016, 02:04:00 PM ED

Source: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/top-10-stocks-under-20-cm720936

Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/top-10-stocks-under-20-cm720936#ixzz4TDTJbnXH

10 Stocks Making Warren Buffett Richer in 2015

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- You can't win 'em all, but Warren Buffett has stacked up a fair number of victories over the years.

Buffett scored another big win at the start of 2015 when he teamed up with Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital to invest a combined $10 billion to form the Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) . The combined company is now the fifth-largest food and beverage entity in the United States.

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) now owns more than 325 million shares of Kraft Heinz, valued at what Bloombergestimates to be $24 billion when the stock began trading in early July. He also has a seat on the company's board.

And the billionaire has already made money on the stock, which has climbed 9.7% since starting trading through market close Wednesday.

The Kraft Heinz Company isn't all the Oracle of Omaha has had going for him lately. Here are 10 other investments that are doing well for him in 2015.

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company

CBI data by YCharts

Buffett took advantage of Chicago Bridge & Iron Company's (CBI - Get Report) price plunge in the second quarter of 2014 to pick up more of the engineering and construction company's shares. And in 2015, the maneuver has proven prudent, as CB&I's share price has surged almost 25% this year as of the market close on Wednesday.

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company reported second-quarter earnings on July 23, including net income of $169.5 million, or $1.55 per diluted share, up 14% from the same period the year before.

"We continue to deliver solid performance despite a volatile commodity market and geopolitical issues that create instability in many of the traditional international markets," said CEO Philip Asherman in a statement.

VeriSign

VRSN data by YCharts

VeriSign  (VRSN - Get Report) has surged 23.8% year-to-date through market close Wednesday.

The Virginia-based company that provides domain name registry and Internet security services has been in Buffett's portfolio since the fourth quarter of 2012, when he picked up 3.7 million shares. Since then, he has more than tripled his stake to nearly 13 million shares. The investment has paid off for Buffett as well, with the stock climbing more than 80% since December 31, 2012.

VeriSign reported second-quarter earnings on July 23. Revenue reached $263 million, a 4.9% increase from the same period in 2014. Net income was $93 million and diluted earnings per share were 70 cents, compared with $100 million and 71 cents the year prior.

Sanofi

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Buffett has been a shareholder of French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (SNY - Get Report) for years. As of the end of the first quarter of 2015, he owns 3.9 million of the company's shares.

On July 28, Sanofi announced plans to commit up to $2.17 billion with long-time partner and drug developer Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN - Get Report) to develop new cancer immunotherapies. The deal includes a $640 million upfront payment as well as a one-time milestone of $375 million tied to sales.

Sanofi has climbed 15.4% year-to-date. With a 3% dividend yield, it is also one of Buffett's top dividend stocks.

Mondelez International

MDLZ data by YCharts

When Mondelez International (MDLZ) split from Kraft in 2012, Buffett ended up with 12.8 million shares of the company. He has now reduced his stake significantly to just 578,000 shares, valued at $20.8 million as of the end of the first quarter. Though it is not a big position for Buffett, it is a strong-performing one in 2015, its price climbing 18.6% year-to-date.

Mondelez is set to report second-quarter earnings on July 30. It released first-quarter numbers in April, including a 10.2% dip in net revenue (largely due to currency headwinds). Adjusted earnings-per-share, however, jumped 25.6% from the previous year to 41 cents and exceeded analysts' expectations.

Another big name investor -- Nelson Peltz -- has been stirring the pot at Mondelez. He joined the company's board in 2014 and has pushed the company to improve margins and cut costs. The activist investor increased his stake in Mondelez in both the fourth quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015.

Moody's

MCO data by YCharts

Buffett has stuck by Moody's  (MCO) through thick and thin, and this year, it appears to have paid off. The ratings company's share price has climbed 15.2% in 2015.

Buffett testified before the U.S. Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in 2010 regarding the role of credit raters in contributing to the housing collapse. Ahead of his appearance, he told Bloomberg that he wasn't aware of any fraud, though he acknowledged that the company, like many, made mistakes during the housing bubble. "What was once a bullet-proof franchise may not be bullet-proof," he said. "It's still quite a franchise."

The billionaire talked up Moody's again this year in an interview with Fox Business. "It's a fantastic business," he said. "So is S&P incidentally [even though] it's paying a big fine. It takes no capital, it has pricing flexibility. If I sell a bond issue, I need a Moody's rating and I need an S&P rating and I can't negotiate with either of them."

Buffett has reduced his stake over the years. However, he still holds 24.7 million Moody's shares.

Verisk Analytics

VRSK data by YCharts

The share price of data analytics and risk assessment company Verisk Analytics (VRSK) has climbed nearly 200% since its 2009 IPO. And in 2015, it has climbed 22.7%.

Berkshire Hathaway had a stake in Verisk before it went public and did not sell any shares in the offering. The stock was first listed in Buffett's 13F filings with the SEC in 2011 when all class B shares were converted to class A shares. As of the end of the first quarter, the billionaire investor holds 1.6 million VRSK shares valued at $111.6 million.

Verisk reported second-quarter earnings on July 28. During the period, total revenue increased 17.5% to $497.6 million, and income jumped 85.4% to 163.3 million. CEO Scott Stephenson called the results "excellent" in a statement and touted the firm's acquisition of Wood Mackenzie, which it bought for $2.8 billion in May.

Visa

Buffett likes his credit card companies, including Visa (V). As of his most recent regulatory holdings disclosure, he has 9.9 million shares worth $646.6 million.

Visa has had a strong year, its stock price climbing 16.4% year-to-date through market close Wednesday. It exceeded expectations with its second-quarter financial report, out July 23, reporting 74 cents in earnings per share compared with the expected 59 cents.

Visa also raised eyebrows when news broke on July 28 that it had invested in online payments company Stripe, which now has a $5 billion valuation. The same day, Stripe also announced a partnership with Visa through which the two will work on ways to improve digital transactions.

Another Buffett company, American Express (AXP), has invested in Stripe as well.