For beginners, investing in stocks can certainly seem overwhelming. If you're new to the big world of stocks _ and bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and municipal bonds _ you'll want to know about safe investments and good-bet stocks and shares for beginners.
Consider your personal goals first _ and get all the education you can on best stocks to invest in for beginners _ when making investment decisions. Begin by checking out these five options under $100. They just might turn into your best long-term investments.
_ Mazda Motor Corp. (MZDAY)
Industry: Auto manufacturer
Price: $7.62
Market cap: $9.2 billion
Year-to-date change: Down 5.41 percent
Annual revenue 2016: $30.1 billion
Net income 2016: $1.2 billion
Dividend and yield: 2.07 percent, trailing 12-month
Mazda sells more than 1.2 million vehicles annually, including passenger cars, commercial fleet vehicles and SUVs manufactured in Japan, China and Thailand. Ford Motor Company holds a 3.5 percent stake in Mazda. Mazda also has a better-than-industry-average return on equity, and its current price-earnings and price-to-book ratios beat other companies within its sector.
_ General Motors Company (GM)
Industry: Auto manufacturer
Price: $43.72
Market cap: $58.8 billion
YTD change: Up 15.90 percent
Annual revenue 2016: $166.4 billion
Net income 2016: $9.4 billion
Dividend and yield: 3.76 percent, trailing 12-month
Founded in 1908 and headquartered in Detroit, General Motors designs, manufactures and sells, cars, trucks and automobile parts. After declaring bankruptcy in 2009, the company made a remarkable turnaround. In 2017, GM stayed strong in truck and SUV market segments following a 2016 increase in its stock buyback program, which is a sign leadership is confident about the future of the company. If you're afraid of risk but want to invest, this might be a good choice.
_ Newell Brands Inc. (NWL)
Industry: Consumer cyclical
Price: $43
Market cap: $20.9 billion
YTD change: Down 4.43 percent
Annual revenue 2016: $13.3 billion
Net income 2016: $528.5 million
Dividend and yield: 2.16 percent, trailing 12-month
Newell Brands is a consumer goods company with a large portfolio of household names, including Sharpie, Sunbeam, Mr. Coffee and Rubbermaid. In September 2017, Newell Brands announced a return of its stock buyback program, which it had suspended in 2014's fourth quarter.
_ TripAdvisor Inc. (TRIP)
Industry: Consumer cyclical
Price: $43.04
Market cap: $5.6 billion
YTD change: Down 12.59 percent
Annual revenue 2016: $1.5 billion
Net income 2016: $120 million
Dividend and yield: N/A
The travel review site TripAdvisor has struggled over the years as it has sought to become a booking company rather than just a hotel review website. By 2017, shares of TripAdvisor stock had fallen more than 60 percent from highs reached in 2014, but an August 2017 analyst upgrade helped shares surge 5.5 percent.
Click-based advertising is a major source of revenue for the company, comprising 49 percent of its revenue in 2016's third quarter. In early 2017, the company adopted a plan that could lay the groundwork for an acquisition, according to Bloomberg. The two most likely buyers? Expedia and Priceline.
_ DineEquity Inc. (DIN)
Industry: Restaurant
Price: $43.48
Market cap: $773.6 million
YTD change: Down 44.18 percent
Annual revenue 2016: $663 million
Net income 2016: $96 million
Dividend and yield: 9.03 percent, trailing 12-month
In November 2007, Dine Equity brought the casual restaurant Applebee's and family dining establishment IHOP together in a 100 percent franchised system of nearly 400 franchisees. It is now one of the largest, full-service restaurant companies in the world, with 3,700 Applebee's and IHOP restaurants in 19 countries. In September 2017, DineEquity hired Stephen Joyce _ former executive with Choice Hotels International Inc. _ as its new CEO.
