It's getting harder these days to find great growth stocks trading for less than $100 a share. It almost seems like a higher price is one of the criteria. But investors should know that there are plenty of good growth stock options worth considering for the long haul that won't cost you a fortune.
Aside from the cheaper price, exploring cheaper alternatives can also help to spread your investment dollars around, ensuring diversity as you buy in on good companies when they are still in their early growth stages. Just remember that doing so means buying in when there may still be some price volatility and risk involved.
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If you're looking at investments priced at less than $100, then three of the best growth stocks to consider right now are CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP), Celsius (NASDAQ: CELH), and KB Home (NYSE: KBH). Here's what you need to know about these three lower-priced stocks.
1. CRISPR Therapeutics
An up-and-coming healthcare stock investors may want to consider loading up on for the long term is CRISPR Therapeutics. The gene-editing stock traded at just over $51 a share at the end of November, putting it well below $100.
The stock has admittedly struggled this year, but I believe there should be a lot more bullishness surrounding CRISPR now that it has an approved cell therapy, Casgevy, which it developed with Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Regulators approved Casgevy for a couple of rare blood disorders -- sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. With a price tag of more than $2 million, it's easy to see why the treatment has the potential to be a game changer for CRISPR as it can drastically improve the lives of patients with these illnesses. The company will take 40% of the profits with Vertex taking the rest, which means that in the not-too-distant future, CRISPR's financials could see a significant improvement.
The company doesn't generate any consistent revenue today and while it has been incurring losses, the good news is that it has been doing a solid job of keeping its costs under control, preventing them from increasing rapidly.
CRISPR is a safer stock to consider than many other small biotech stocks with no approved products in their portfolios. As Casgevy is rolled out to patients, it should only be a matter of time before investors start to see CRISPR's financials improve. There's some risk with the stock but not enough for it to be a bad buy at its current price.
2. Celsius
Share prices of energy drink company Celsius have been crashing in recent months, and that's great news for investors who want to buy the stock for the long haul. It almost hit the $100 mark earlier this year, but news that its growth rate fell and that its guidance would be reduced sparked a sell-off over the summer. Nowadays, it's not hard to buy the stock for less than $30.
The thing is, there are some promising characteristics about Celsius investors need to remember, including that PepsiCo is a key distributor and that it's also an investor. PepsiCo announced a $550 million investment into Celsius in 2022. That's a great vote of confidence from a great partner, as PepsiCo's brand is known all over the world.
Celsius is facing some headwinds as PepsiCo adjusts its inventory levels on Celsius products, looking to find the right amount to stock shelves with. That is likely to prove to be a temporary issue for the beverage company. Investors may be down about Celsius' declining revenue growth in recent quarters, but with a lot of growth potential still out there for the business in terms of untapped markets, this can be another great place to invest $100 and forget about. The company has posted an operating profit in three of its past four quarters.
3. KB Home
KB Home is the closest stock on this list to the $100 level, finishing the end of November at a closing price of just under $83 a share. The homebuilding stock has been picking up steam of late as interest rates have been coming down, making investors optimistic that its sales could accelerate in future quarters.
Rated as a top homebuilder in the U.S., KB Home could stand to benefit from more favorable market conditions. Quarterly revenue for the period ending Aug. 31 totaled around $1.8 billion and rose by more than 10% from the same period last year. The company noted a "strengthening in demand," which it has been experiencing of late, and that could continue into next year as interest rates come down further.
Trading at just 11 times its trailing earnings, KB Home makes for an attractive growth and value stock to buy and hold today.
Should you invest $1,000 in CRISPR Therapeutics right now?
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David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends CRISPR Therapeutics, Celsius, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool recommends KB Home and recommends the following options: short January 2025 $75 puts on KB Home. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
