The old saying “it takes money to make money” was once true for Wall Street. Only the well-heeled could afford to invest in the stock market. But that’s not the case any longer. The democratization of investing means investors with as little as $100 can start building their retirement nest eggs immediately.
Online discount brokerages make it easy to buy and sell shares. And Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) forced the industry to virtually give up transaction fees. Buying and selling stock now is essentially free. Moreover, the ability to buy fractional shares, or just part of a single stock, means no stock is out of reach. Even one like NVR (NYSE:NVR), which trades for about $7,700 a share, can still be purchased by someone holding only a single Benjamin.
Naturally it will take you a bit longer to reach your retirement goals than for someone putting $10,000 or $100,000 into the market. But consistency is the key. Regularly buying great companies at good prices will give you a portfolio that will reward you in your Golden Years.
So if you only have few dollars to invest today, and you don’t need it for emergencies or to pay bills, then these are the best stocks to buy under $100.
Shopify (SHOP)
Merchant platform Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) trades around $74 a share and represents a resurgent growth stock to buy. It focuses on providing small businesses, especially those that are e-commerce-only operations, a one-stop shop solution. By offering merchants a suite of products that range from building a website and checkout page to inventory control and logistics, Shopify creates a turnkey package for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB).
Although its fourth-quarter earnings report wasn’t well received by the market, Shopify still beat top- and bottom-line forecasts with sharply higher revenue and a long-sought, meaningful increase in profits. The merchant platform also offered stronger guidance for the coming year.
While mainly catering to SMBs, Shopify is also attracting more enterprise-class customers. Q4 saw Nike (NYSE:NKE), Banana Republic and Boardriders — the umbrella corporation that’s home to Quicksilver, Billabong and Roxy — sign on.
Wall Street forecasts Shopify will grow earnings at a whopping 60% compounded annual growth rate over the next five years. With the platform generating nearly $1 billion in free cash flow last year, Shopify has the wherewithal for significant growth going forward.
Palantir Technologies (PLTR)
Buying Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) gives an investor a cheap entry point into artificial intelligence (AI) without trying to hitch a ride on the Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) rocket ship. The data analytics firm has been called the best pure-play stock in AI and investors can get in for around $26 a share.
Palantir is certainly a natural for AI. Having to take massive amounts of data and crunch it into digestible and actionable visualizations means implementing AI into its workflow to improve speed and efficiency. The Big Data stock got its start working with information supplied by the government’s three-letter spy agencies but soon realized business needed its services too. It didn’t hurt either that commercial customers offer better growth prospects.
The company has two distinct platforms for each segment, Gotham and Foundry, respectively. Recently it launched its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) that is witnessing a sustained, positive response from customers. Palantir sold out availability in a single quarter what it thought would take at least a year to achieve.
PLTR stock just got a boost from a new $174 million military contract. Palantir will develop the U.S. Army’s Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN) ground station vehicle using AI and machine learning. The station will take data received from space, high altitude, aerial and ground sensors to enhance targeting and firing capabilities. It can automatically and quickly transmit the data from the ground station to the soldier, reducing lag times.
With a leadership position in an early-stage industry, Palantir Technologies will see explosive growth in the years ahead.
American Homes 4 Rent (AMH)
Real estate investment trust American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH) is buying up houses across the country. One of the biggest investor-backed homeowners in the U.S. American Homes owns over 59,000 houses that boast better than 95% occupancy rates.
It is the buying habits of investor consortiums like American Homes 4 Rent and industry leader Invitation Homes (NYSE:INVH) that is keeping the housing market elevated. It is unprecedented that we have sharply rising mortgage interest rates but a housing market that still sees prices rising. Yet it also tends to align with the preferences of Gen Z and Millennials who prefer to rent over buying homes. Of course, with inflated home prices, the cash-strapped demographics can’t afford to buy one either.
That sounds like the dystopian view offered by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which says “you’ll own nothing and be happy.” Yet the rising-price regions of the country are those that American Homes 4 Rent targets for development, leveraging its data and technology platform to optimize operational efficiency. That’s what gives the home buyer its competitive edge.
AMH stock trades for $36 a share. It could be a profitable beneficiary of the changing housing landscape.
On the date of publication, Rich Duprey did not hold (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.