3 Under-the-Radar Stocks Ready to Outsmart the Market

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Big tech captures the spotlight as artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives have helped several tech giants reach trillion-dollar valuations. The three most valuable publicly traded corporations are all investing heavily in AI, and they arenโ€™t secretsย at this point.

Many investors know aboutย Appleย (NASDAQ:AAPL),ย Microsoftย (NASDAQ:MSFT), andย Nvidiaย (NASDAQ:NVDA). While these stocks have generated incredible returns over the long run, thereโ€™s a problem with only relying on big-name companies.

Itโ€™s possible to generate much higher returns if you allocate some of your capital toward smaller companies. While Nvidia is a household name right now, it wasnโ€™t the case just a few years ago. Buying household names before they become household names can beย quiteย lucrative for patient investors.

Some hidden gems continue to report excellent revenue growth while having high profit margins.ย Investors looking to diversify their portfolios into under-the-radar stocks may want toย take a look atย these picks.

CommVault Systems (CVLT)

CommVault Systemsย (NASDAQ:CVLT) is a cloud security platform that protects companiesโ€™ digital assets and helps them monitor their cloud data from a centralized dashboard. The stock has a $5 billion market cap and a 30.5 P/E ratio. Itโ€™s up by 49% year-to-date (YTD) and has gained 140% over the past five years.

CommVault Systemsโ€™ annual recurring revenue is growing at a solid pace.ย This figure recentlyย came in atย $770 million which isย a 16% year-over-year (YOY) improvement.ย The risingย annual recurringย revenue gives the cloud security firm a solid base for reporting higher revenue and earnings growth in subsequent quarters.

The company reported 10% YOY revenue growth inย Q4 of FY24ย to reach $223.3 million in sales. Total annual recurring revenue increased by 2.3% sequentially and continues to inch higher every quarter. YOY revenue growth accelerated across all markets โ€” the Americas and international countries. Higher revenue growth and rising net income โ€” the company reported $23.0 millionย in net incomeย before an income tax windfall โ€” suggest that CommVault Systems can expand its rally.

Comfort Systems USA (FIX)

Comfort Systems USAย (NYSE:FIX) offers ventilation, air conditioning and heating installation and management for industrial and commercial clients. Theย Russell 2000ย member has a market cap above $11 billion and trades at a 32 P/E ratio. Itโ€™s been trading like a big tech company, with shares up by 61% YTD and a 5-year gain of 563%.

The stock only has a 0.37% yield. But it tends to raise its dividend twice per year. Comfort Systems USA recentlyย hiked its quarterly dividendย from 25 cents to 30 cents per share, marking a 20% improvement. The company only gave out 25 cents per share in two quarters. Before that, the company gaveย outย a quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share.

In addition, Comfort Systems USA continues to report impressive financial growth. Revenue increased by 31% YOY to reach $1.54 billion in theย first quarter.ย Net income came in at $96.3 millionย which wasย a 68% YOY improvement. Also, FIX has a healthy $5.91 billion backlog which suggests revenue growth shouldย consider.ย The $5.91 billion backlog is a 33% YOY improvement from the companyโ€™s $4.44 billion backlog in the same quarter last year.

Texas Roadhouse (TXRH)

Fast food restaurant stocks haveย been gaining plenty ofย momentum as investors search for the nextย Chipotle(NYSE:CMG). While several fast food restaurant stocks have posted tech-beating gains over the past five years, thereโ€™s a problem. Many of these same fast food restaurant stocks now have excessive valuations that suggest limited upsides and no margins of safety.

Thatโ€™s whereย Texas Roadhouseย (NYSE:TXRH) is different. Its YTD gain is slightly lower than Chipotleโ€™s. However, that figure still stands at an impressive 43%. Furthermore, Texas Roadhouse stock hasย more thanย tripled over the past five years. Despite those gains, the steakhouse chain still has a 35 P/E ratio and a 1.43% yield. Also, Texas Roadhouse recentlyย raised its quarterly dividendย from 55 cents to 61 cents per share. Thatโ€™s a 10.9% YOY increase.ย 

Moreover, Texas Roadhouse has been reporting solid financials.ย Q1 of 2024 revenueย increased by 12.5%ย YOYย while net income was up by 31.0%ย YOY. Those growth rates are similar toย whatย Chipotle posted,ย andย yet Texas Roadhouse has a much lower valuation.ย As Texas Roadhouse expands its footprint through company-owned and franchise restaurants, the stock price should continue to rally.ย 

On thisย date of publication, Marc Guberti held long positions in CVLT, FIX, and TXRH. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to theย InvestorPlace.comย Publishing Guidelines.

Marc Guberti is a finance freelance writer at InvestorPlace.com who hosts the Breakthrough Success Podcast. He has contributed to several publications, including the U.S. News & World Report, Benzinga, and Joy Wallet.

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