The $10-50 price range often includes mid-sized businesses with proven track records and plenty of growth runway ahead. They also usually carry less risk than penny stocks, though they’re not immune to volatility as many lack the scale advantages of their larger peers.
These dynamics can cause headaches for even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you separate the good companies from the bad. Keeping that in mind, here are three stocks under $50 to swipe left on and some alternatives you should look into instead.
Hormel Foods (HRL)
Share Price: $22.66
Best known for its SPAM brand, Hormel (NYSE:HRL) is a packaged foods company with products that span meat, poultry, shelf-stable foods, and spreads.
Why Should You Dump HRL?
- Shrinking unit sales over the past two years suggest it might have to lower prices to stimulate growth
- Gross margin of 16.6% is below its competitors, leaving less money to invest in areas like marketing and production facilities
- Performance over the past three years shows each sale was less profitable as its earnings per share dropped by 7% annually, worse than its revenue
Hormel Foods’s stock price of $22.66 implies a valuation ratio of 16.7x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including HRL in your portfolio.
Terex (TEX)
Share Price: $45.75
With humble beginnings as a dump truck company, Terex (NYSE:TEX) today manufactures lifting and material handling equipment designed to move and hoist heavy goods and materials.
Why Does TEX Give Us Pause?
- Absence of organic revenue growth over the past two years suggests it may have to lean into acquisitions to drive its expansion
- Earnings per share fell by 19.3% annually over the last two years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable
- Free cash flow margin shrank by 3.7 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive
At $45.75 per share, Terex trades at 8.6x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why TEX doesn’t pass our bar.
OceanFirst Financial (OCFC)
Share Price: $17.94
Tracing its roots back to 1902 when it began serving coastal New Jersey communities, OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ:OCFC) operates as a regional bank holding company that provides commercial and consumer banking services primarily in New Jersey and surrounding metropolitan areas.
Why Is OCFC Not Exciting?
- Products and services are facing significant end-market challenges during this cycle as sales have declined by 5% annually over the last two years
- Muted 3.1% annual net interest income growth over the last five years shows its demand lagged behind its banking peers
- Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last two years, showing each sale was less profitable
OceanFirst Financial is trading at $17.94 per share, or 0.6x forward P/B. If you’re considering OCFC for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
Your portfolio can’t afford to be based on yesterday’s story. The risk in a handful of heavily crowded stocks is rising daily.
The names generating the next wave of massive growth are right here in our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 244% over the last five years (as of June 30, 2025).
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,326% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today
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