Stocks to buy

It’s a scientific reality that people don’t operate well when they are anxious, but it also sets up an intriguing opportunity for sizzling stocks to buy. Essentially, with many investors panicking out of their positions, the dynamic presents discounted opportunities for battle-hardened contrarians. While this framework isn’t an easy one to adopt, it can also yield significant gains.

Theoretically, while the equities sector represents the perfect indicator of valuation given all publicly available information, some stocks to buy simply fly under the radar. Whether it’s because they’re listed in foreign exchanges or simply aren’t tied to the flavors of the week, astute investors can find enticing prospects that others don’t see.

Below are several stocks to buy that should garner substantial attention but for whatever reason are not.

DLMAF Dollarama $58.03
MRNS Marinus Pharmaceuticals $4.90
TRUP Trupanion $47.39
MFG Mizuho Financial $2.15
PCRFY Panasonic $6.91
PALAF Paladin Energy $0.50
SLDB Solid Biosciences $0.45

Dollarama (DLMAF)

Source: BalkansCat / Shutterstock.com

Theoretically, discount dollar store Dollarama (OTCMKTS:DLMAF) should attract all the attention. With much of the market panicking due to higher-than-expected inflation driving up fears of aggressive interest rate hikes, retailers that specifically provide discounts to hard-hit consumers should perform well. Indeed, DLMAF is doing just that. Since the start of this year, DLMAF gained over 15%. For context, the S&P 500 shed over 22% during the same period.

So, why aren’t more investors piling into Dollarama? For one thing, DLMAF – as you can ascertain from the funky ticker symbol – trades over the counter. Not actually an exchange, the OTC market represents trades conducted over broker-dealer networks. One such consequence of this dynamic is that stocks to buy trading on the OTC market tend to feature wide bid-ask spreads.

The other reason that Dollarama may be overlooked – or at least doesn’t capture much attention stateside — is that the company conducts deals in Canadian dollars.

Marinus Pharmaceuticals (MRNS)

Source: shutterstock.com/Champhei

While Covid-19 bolstered myriad biotechnology-based innovations, the crisis also ironically impeded the sector. With fears of infection from the mysterious SARS-CoV-2 virus running red hot during the height of the outbreak, few folks wanted to seek medical care for other reasons. Now that Covid-19 has largely faded into the background, it opens doors for Marinus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MRNS).

A clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, Marinus focuses on the development of ganaxolone, which addresses areas of unmet medical need. This includes a range of seizure disorders. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, at least 3.4 million people in the U.S. live with seizures, including 470,000 children. This creates a large addressable market, which may boost MRNS.

Still, Marinus doesn’t command as much attention it deserves as one of the stocks to buy. To be fair, clinical-stage biotechs present a high-risk venture. But if you’re a contrarian, you may want to take a look at this feel-good play.

Trupanion (TRUP)

Source: Shutterstock

Amid the uproar and panic on Wall Street, intriguing companies like Trupanion (NASDAQ:TRUP) fell by the wayside. Trupanion specializes in providing pet insurance policies, which should appeal to the American consumer. To be completely fair, though, TRUP seriously tripped up throughout this year. Since the January opener, shares declined a staggering 65%. We’re not talking about a low-risk name among stocks to buy.

Financially, Trupanion represents a mixed bag. In the second quarter of 2022, the company posted revenue of $219.4 million, gaining over 30% on a year-over-year basis. However, net loss in Q2 of this year came out to $13.6 million. Unfortunately, this figure expanded unfavorably from a net loss of $9.2 million in the year-ago quarter.

Therefore, investors probably ignored TRUP as one of the stocks to buy because of the lackluster results. Still, let’s look at the fundamentals. According to the American Pet Products Association, total U.S. pet-related revenue came out to $123.6 billion in 2021, up from $103.6 billion in the prior year. Also, veterinary care and product sales came out to $34.3 billion in 2021.

Mizuho Financial (MFG)

Source: TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock

Just mentioning Mizuho Financial (NYSE:MFG) as one of the stocks to buy that Wall Street ignores, I already hear groans. Of course, Mizuho goes ignored! A Japanese bank holding firm, Mizuho is inextricably tied to Japan Inc. And Japan Inc has been stinking up the place for the last two decades or so. However, something interesting materialized recently.

On a year-to-date basis, MFG declined has by 15.%. That is not a favorable outcome by itself. However, take a look at JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM). JPM shares slipped nearly 28% for the year so far.

What’s more, the Japanese benchmark Nikkei 225 is down 6% for the year. Once again, the mighty S&P 500 is down 19%.

If you really want to get granular, Japan’s economy incurred inflation – and it might stay that way. That should inspire investors to consider MFG, with Mizuho guiding clients to protect their wealth during a currency erosion cycle.

Panasonic (PCRFY)

Source: Shutterstock

Speaking of Japan, the reason why so many investors previously targeted the island nation prior to the early 1990s stemmed from its technological prowess. At a certain point, it seemed Japanese consumer electronics firms were pumping out myriad innovations. However, the rise of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) put many of Japan’s firms in the background.

One such company is Panasonic (OTCMKTS:PCRFY). No longer trading on an actual exchange, Panasonic calls the OTC market home (at least in America). Therefore, it doesn’t quite get the visibility that it arguably deserves as one of the stocks to buy.

To be sure, PCRFY disappointed this year, along with so many other companies. Since the January opener, shares slipped over 37%.

One major catalyst to keep Panasonic on your radar is its longstanding development of lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles. If you really think about it, Panasonic is the lifeblood of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). Without its batteries, a Tesla would be a smartphone with stationary wheels.

Paladin Energy (PALAF)

Source: Shutterstock

Arguably, a reason exists why Paladin Energy (OTCMKTS:PALAF) doesn’t generate much attention regarding the topic of stocks to buy. It all stems from an underlying controversy. A mining firm, Paladin specializes in large-scale uranium exploration and production operations. Of course, with quite a few meltdown incidents in the past, many folks became leery about the energy source.

Certainly, the recent crisis surrounding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear powerplant provided no favors in terms of soothing nerves. In addition, Europe implemented a nuclear power slowdown prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, the world largely turns to clean renewable sources rather than relying on nuclear energy. However, fundamental realities bode well for PALAF, an ignored name among stocks to buy.

Scientifically, no other energy source matches the incredible energy density of nuclear fuel. Further, if Europe wants to reduce its exposure to Russia hydrocarbon outflows, it must consider all alternatives. That includes nuclear power, in my opinion, boding well for PALAF.

Solid Biosciences (SLDB)

Source: shutterstock.com/Romix Image

Another biotech firm, Solid Biosciences (NASDAQ:SLDB) specializes in developing transformative treatments to improve the lives of patients living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. To be clear, Duchenne represents an incredibly rare disease. Only a quarter of a million people have the condition in the U.S. Nevertheless, with federal programs geared toward addressing such rare diseases, Solid Biosciences could be an attractive name among stocks to buy for speculators.

In all fairness, SLDB ranks among the penny stocks – the literal kind. Priced at 45 cents at time of writing, it will take a bold contrarian to acquire shares. Interestingly, though, since hitting an apparent bottom on May 11 of this year, SLDB shot up nearly 49%.

Of course, the other side to this narrative is that on a YTD basis, SLDB tanked over 74%. Priced at 45 cents and losing 74% for the year presents an ugly balance. Still, if you do want to take a high-risk wager on a possibly promising biotech, put SLDB on your list of stocks to buy.

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Read More: Penny Stocks — How to Profit Without Getting Scammed 

On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

A former senior business analyst for Sony Electronics, Josh Enomoto has helped broker major contracts with Fortune Global 500 companies. Over the past several years, he has delivered unique, critical insights for the investment markets, as well as various other industries including legal, construction management, and healthcare.