We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Low Volatility Stocks to Invest in Now.In this article, we are going to take a look at where PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD) stands against the other low volatility stocks. We will also discuss the latest updates around the market and political situation of the US.
Market Begins November on a Dynamic Note
The first week of November has been quite eventful so far. Presidential candidate Donald Trump won the election and President Joe Biden, speaking from the Rose Garden after the election, pledged a peaceful transition of power on January 20.
Moreover, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced a quarter-point rate cut on November 7, aimed at supporting strong employment and steady inflation. Economic indicators show solid growth, with GDP rising by 2.8% in the third quarter and consumer spending remaining strong. While the housing sector remains weak, other areas like equipment investment have strengthened.
The labor market shows resilience despite a slowdown in job gains and an uptick in the unemployment rate to 4.1%. Inflation has cooled significantly, nearing the Fed’s 2% target. However, core inflation remains slightly above that level.
In response to questions, Chair Powell noted that the U.S. election isn’t expected to influence near-term Fed policy, as future policy changes and their economic effects remain uncertain. He acknowledged that higher Treasury yields likely reflect expectations of stronger economic growth rather than inflation concerns.
Looking ahead to December, Powell stated that the Fed will assess data on inflation, employment, and economic growth to determine if further policy recalibration is needed. He emphasized the Fed’s effort to balance rate adjustments to avoid moving too quickly or too slowly, aiming to sustain a strong labor market while bringing inflation closer to the 2% target.
The market is taking the news well and all three major market indices closed at all-time highs on November 7. While things seem to be on track, it is important to note that such events sometimes also bring volatility and uncertainty.
Economic Outlook in an Era of Unpredictable Policies
In a recent interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson discussed the complexities surrounding recent economic and policy changes. Ferguson noted that the Federal Reserve's approach remains cautious, taking a “wait-and-see” stance to assess how policies impact the economy.
He mentioned Fed Chair Powell's resistance to providing overly specific future guidance and instead emphasized data-based decisions. Additionally, Ferguson highlighted that external factors such as tariffs and changes in the energy market could create varied inflationary pressures. While deregulation might counterbalance some inflation risks, tariffs could still add complexity.
The conversation touched on the “neutral rate,” with Ferguson indicating that it will play a crucial role moving forward, especially given shifts in bond yields and their impact on inflation expectations. Ferguson conveyed that uncertainty in policy directions requires flexibility in economic responses, with ongoing adjustments as more details unfold.
Our Methodology
For this article, we used the Yahoo Finance stock screener to identify around 250 large to mega-cap stocks with a 5-year beta (monthly) between 0.2 and 0.8. We narrowed our list to 10 stocks most widely held by institutional investors and listed them in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment. The hedge fund sentiment was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q2 database of over 900 elite hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A close-up of a customer using the company's e-commerce platform whilst shopping online.
PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD) is a multinational commerce group that operates a variety of businesses, including the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, which offers a wide range of products such as agricultural goods, apparel, electronics, and household items, and Temu, an online marketplace.
It is seeing strong growth, largely driven by its ownership of the rapidly expanding online marketplace Temu, which is gaining traction in Europe and North America. The company’s success stems from its ability to bring large groups of buyers together to negotiate lower prices from suppliers, offering savings to users.
PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD) has been showing a strong performance since 2023 as it has outperformed the EPS estimates and has increased its per-share earnings in every quarter since the first quarter of 2023. Moreover, the company’s TTM net income has grown by nearly 140% year-over-year, and over the last 5 years, it has reported a nearly 75% compound annual growth rate in revenue.
Analysts see quite a significant upside to PDD’s (NASDAQ:PDD) stock and its EPS. According to Yahoo Finance data, the company is expected to report an EPS of $11.93 in the current year, up 82.4% from 2023.
Furthermore, the company’s stock has been covered by 47 analysts and most of them maintain a Buy equivalent rating for the stock. Their average price target of $168.73 represents an upside of nearly 34.05% from current levels on November 7.
Overall PDD ranks 8th on our list of the best low volatility stocks to invest in now. While we acknowledge the potential of PDD as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PDD but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
