• (1:00) - Should You Be Buying More Beaten Down Stocks?

• (6:40) - Top Stocks To Keep On Your Radar Right Now

• (30:10) - Episode Roundup: WBA, APA, DIS, PFE, INTC

• Podcast@Zacks.com

 

Welcome to Episode #426 of the Zacks Market Edge Podcast.

Every week, host and Zacks stock strategist, Tracey Ryniec, will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds, and ETFs and how it impacts your life.

This week, Tracey went solo to discuss a question she’s been getting asked a lot even with stocks hitting new all-time highs: should you buy more shares of a long-time losing stock?

It Won’t Go Under, Will It?

This is a common conundrum for many buy-and-hold investors. You might have bought a stock 10 years ago and it was performing well until the last few years where it has taken a dive. It’s not down 10% or 20%, but it has plunged 50% or more.

It might even be making multi-decade lows.

Should you buy more if you’re a long-term investor?

This is one of the most difficult questions in investing because it’s filled with emotions. Long-term investors tend to stay in losing stocks to try and “make it back” to their breakeven level.

Also, there are risks involved in stock investing even if it’s in a company that has been around for 50 or 100 years. Tracey often hears: “It won’t go under, will it?”

Hint: There is no longer Sears Roebuck or Kmart.

Tracey looked at 5 well-known stocks that have underperformed the S&P 500 over the last 5 years for this podcast.

What should you do?

5 Stocks Trading Near Lows: Should You Buy More?

1.      Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA)

Walgreens Boots Alliance has been struggling for several years and is closing locations. It previously cut its dividend to $1.00 per share, which is now yielding 11.5%. But Walgreens is only expected to see earnings of $1.53 this fiscal year.

Shares of Walgreens continue to slide this year, down 65.6% year-to-date. But over the last 5 years, they have plunged 85%. Walgreens trades with a forward P/E of 5.7.

Should long-term investors buy more shares of Walgreens?

2.      APA Corp. (APA)

APA Corp. is an American oil and natural gas exploration and production company. The oil stocks are considered cyclicals, which means they rise when the price of oil rises, and fall when the price declines. It has “cycles.”

Shares of APA are down 37.4% year-to-date as the price of oil has declined. Over the last 5-years, it is also in the red, down 1.8%. APA trades with a forward P/E of 5.7 but earnings are expected to fall 11.9% this year and another 15.4% next year.