If you want to make 100% on your money in a short period, you have to zig when others zag. The best way to see massive returns in today’s market is to identify beaten-down stocks that have reached their low point and invest in high-upside positions that other people are avoiding.
Simply put, you need to be a contrarian.
And that’s why we’re bringing you the three best “contrarian” stocks to buy today…
To find which stocks are cheap and provide the highest upside, we use the Money Morning VQScore.
We track the 1,500 most profitable companies on the market and assign each one a VQScore. To get the score, we use only the key factors that find stocks ready to outperform “average” returns. A VQScore of 4 or higher puts a stock in the “Buy Zone.”
These are the stocks priced to make you money right now.
Remember, however, that this is a quantitative approach to investing. You need to suspend your bias against some of these companies. Some firms are from different sectors that investors have overlooked or avoided. Some are tied to lower energy prices or a tepid housing market. All that matters is the VQScore.
Today, we’re looking at contrarian plays with high VQScores.
Each one of these stocks has faced significant headwinds in recent months. A macroeconomic trend, a glut of oil production, or growing concerns about consumer debt.
However, just a small investment in these high-upside stocks could quickly earn you a triple-digit gain in 2019.
These are the three best contrarian stocks to buy for March 2019…
Contrarian Stocks to Buy in March, No. 3
The first stock on today’s list is ArcelorMittal SA (NYSE: MT).
The ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China has affected global steel prices and other commodities around the globe. While domestic steel prices have increased across the United States, a rising tide has not lifted all boats in the sector.
ArcelorMittal SA, a Luxembourg-based steel producer, has seen shares retreat from a 52-week high of $36.52 to $23.75. The company has bragged that higher steel prices have benefited its bottom line, and steel firms have reopened mills around the United States.
Not only have global economic concerns weighed on the stock, but the firm is also tied to a problematic event in South America, where a dam broke and caused the disappearance of Brazilian miners.
Ongoing geopolitical tensions continue to weigh on steel producers. Negative pressures have made this stock extremely cheap. It trades at a price/earnings ratio of just 4.7, while its price to tangible book value is 0.64. That means you could liquidate the firm, and shares would pop by almost 50%.
According to TipRanks, MT stock has a one-year consensus price target of $42. That price offers potential upside of 76.8% from Monday’s closing price.
However, given that MT has our highest VQScore, a triple-digit gain is possible.
Contrarian Stocks to Buy in March, No. 2
The second contrarian play we have for you today is Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY).
U.S. consumer debt hit a whopping $4 trillion for the first time in February. A spike in student loans, rising auto debt, and holiday spending created a perfect storm for this 13-figure sum.
Concerns about unsecured loans have fueled an exodus of investors out of financial technology and loan companies that service such debt or engage in refinancing. That is one reason why last week we noted that Navient – a massive student loan servicer – is trading at very cheap levels.
The same goes for Ally Financial. The Detroit-based bank holding company has significant exposure to the vehicle lending industry. Concerns about consumer lending have hit the entire industry – from credit card companies to mortgage firms, from home builders to student loan servicers.
At some point, however, the downturn will present substantial opportunity to tap into healthy companies that are extremely undervalued.
And ALLY is also trading on the cheap. The financial firm trades at just 0.83 price to tangible book value. If the company liquidated tomorrow, shares would increase by more than 20% in value.
ALLY has a one-year price target of $31.79, according to TipRanks. That figure represents an upside of 20.2% from Monday’s closing price.
Contrarian Stocks to Buy in March, No. 1
Pittsburgh-based EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT) is the top stock on our list today.
EQT is the largest natural gas producer in the United States. And while Big Gas is a mainstream investment, owning this stock right now is the ultimate contrarian play.
While a company like Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) might be a more beaten-down stock, EQT is undergoing significant changes that have some investors pulling away. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the firm spun off its midstream operations into a new firm called Equitrans Midstream Corp. (NYSE: ETRN).
EQT is now a pure-play upstream producer of physical commodities. Natural gas prices have slid sharply since the start of the fourth quarter. Also, the company is dealing with a controversy.
According to reports, one of its employees allegedly stole trade secrets. Despite the downturn in natural gas prices, EQT is a firm that is ready to take off in 2019.
EQT has our highest VQScore and a high one-year price target of $38. From today’s price, that would be a return of 105%.
EQT stock is cheap. Shares are trading at a price to tangible book value of just 0.44. That means if you liquidated the company today, shares would be worth more than twice today’s value.
Remember, if you’re serious about making money, you need to have the patience and confidence to wait for an opportunity to emerge. Luckily, the VQScore system does that work for you.
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Source: Money Morning