The
US
stock
market
finished
the
first
quarter
of
2024
up
more
than
10%
as
measured
by
the
Morningstar
US
Market
Index.
Heading
into
the
second
quarter,
stocks
look
fairly
valued,
according
to
our
metrics:
Looking
at
a
composite
of
the
stocks
Morningstar
covers,
the
US
stock
market
is
trading
at
a
price/fair
value
of
1.03
at
the
end
of
the
first
quarter.
In
comparison,
stocks
were
trading
at
a
12%
discount
to
fair
value
one
year
ago.
With
the
market
trading
at
a
slight
premium
to
our
fair
value
estimate,
what
might
that
mean
for
the
remainder
of
2024?
“In
our
view,
it
is
unlikely
that
what
has
worked
for
the
last
year
and
a
half
will
be
what
continues
to
work,”
writes
Morningstar
Chief
US
Market
Strategist
David
Sekera
in
his
second-quarter
2024
stock
market
outlook.
“We
think
now
is
a
good
time
for
investors
to
look
for
contrarian
investment
opportunities,
especially
in
those
areas
that
have
underperformed,
are
unloved—and
most
importantly—undervalued.”
Here’s
how
stock
market
valuations
look
through
a
few
different
lenses:
-
By
investment
style,
small-value
stocks
are
the
most
undervalued
stocks
right
now,
trading
26%
below
our
fair
value
estimate.
Meanwhile,
large-
and
mid-cap
growth
stocks
are
8%
overvalued. -
By
sector,
industrials,
technology,
financial
services,
and
consumer
defensive
stocks
look
most
overvalued.
The
most
undervalued
sectors
heading
into
the
second
quarter
are
real
estate,
utilities,
and
communication
services. -
By
Morningstar
Economic
Moat
Rating,
which
is
a
sign
of
a
company’s
competitive
advantages,
wide-moat
stocks
are
overvalued
by
4%,
while
narrow-
and
no-moat
stocks
are
about
fairly
valued.
33
Undervalued
Stocks
to
Buy
for
Q2
2024
Here’s
the
list
of
Morningstar’s
top
underpriced
stock
picks
for
the
second
quarter
of
2024.
-
Adobe
ADBE -
Albemarle
ALB -
APA
APA -
Cognizant
Technology
Solutions
CTSH -
Comcast
CMCSA -
Crown
Castle
CCI -
Dow
DOW -
Duke
Energy
DUK -
Entergy
ETR -
Federal
Realty
Investment
Trust
FRT -
FMC
FMC -
Hanesbrands
HBI -
Illumina
ILMN -
Kraft
Heinz
KHC -
MarketAxess
Holdings
MKTX -
Moderna
Therapeutics
MRNA -
NiSource
NI -
PayPal
Holdings
PYPL -
Realty
Income
O -
Schlumberger
SLB -
Sealed
Air
SEE -
Stericycle
SRCL -
STMicroelectronics
STM -
TC
Energy
TRP -
Tyson
Foods
TSN -
Under
Armour
UA -
U.S.
Bancorp
USB -
VF
VFC -
Ventas
VTR -
Warner
Brothers
Discovery
WBD -
Wesco
International
WCC -
WK
Kellogg
KLG -
Zimmer
Biomet
ZBH
Here’s
a
brief
summary
of
how
valuations
stack
up
across
sectors,
along
with
some
key
Morningstar
metrics
about
each
undervalued
stock
to
buy.
Individual
stock
data
is
as
of
March
31,
2024.
Undervalued
Basic-Materials
Stocks
Basic-materials
stocks
have
underperformed
the
broader
so
far
in
2024
and
are
fairly
valued
heading
into
the
second
quarter.
Morningstar
strategist
Seth
Goldstein
reports
that
60%
of
the
stocks
that
Morningstar
covers
in
the
sector
are
trading
with
Morningstar
Ratings
of
4
or
5
stars.
While
building-materials
stocks
look
overvalued,
more
than
half
of
the
stocks
in
the
agriculture,
chemicals,
and
metals
and
mining
industries
are
underpriced.
Underpriced
Communications-Services
Stocks
The
communication-services
sector
performed
in
line
with
the
broad
market
during
the
first
quarter.
The
sector
enters
the
second
quarter
of
2024
trading
6%
below
our
fair
value
estimate.
While
heavyweight
Meta
Platforms
META
has
continued
to
soar
this
year,
there
is
plenty
of
opportunity
in
the
sector,
observes
Morningstar
sector
director
Mike
Hodel.
In
particular,
more
than
three
fourths
of
the
stocks
we
cover
in
the
telecom
subsector
are
trading
in
4-
and
5-star
range.
Cheap
Consumer
Cyclical
Stocks
Today
Consumer
cyclical
stocks
underperformed
the
broader
market
during
the
first
quarter.
The
sector
enters
the
second
quarter
of
2024
trading
2%
below
our
fair
value
estimate.
Less
than
half
of
the
stocks
that
we
cover
in
the
sector
are
trading
in
4-
and
5-star
range,
says
Morningstar
sector
director
Erin
Lash.
The
auto,
apparel,
and
travel
and
leisure
industries
hold
the
most
opportunities
from
a
valuation
perspective.
Undervalued
Stocks
in
the
Consumer
Defensive
Sector
Consumer
defensive
stocks
lagged
the
market
during
the
first
quarter.
The
sector
looks
6%
overvalued
heading
into
the
second
quarter
of
2024.
Yet
there
are
opportunities
to
be
found,
says
Morningstar’s
Lash:
In
particular,
nearly
half
of
the
stocks
we
cover
in
the
consumer
packaged
goods
industry
are
trading
in
4-
and
5-star
range.
All
of
the
tobacco
stocks
we
cover
look
undervalued,
too.
Underpriced
Energy
Stocks
Right
Now
Energy
stocks
outperformed
the
broader
market
during
the
first
quarter
as
oil
prices
rose.
We
expect
the
US
production
growth
curve
to
flatten
further
in
2024,
says
Morningstar
sector
strategist
Stephen
Ellis.
The
energy
sector
looks
about
3%
undervalued
today.
About
half
of
the
names
we
cover
in
the
drilling
and
integrated
oil
and
gas
industries
look
undervalued.
Undervalued
Stocks:
Financial
Services
The
financial-services
sector
has
outperformed
the
broad
market
so
far
in
2024;
the
sector
is
6%
overvalued
at
the
start
of
the
second
quarter.
However,
more
than
half
of
the
bank
stocks
we
cover
are
trading
at
4-
and
5-star
levels,
notes
Morningstar
sector
director
Michael
Wong.
Over
the
medium
term,
we
expect
balance
sheet
changes
to
offset
some
of
the
pressure
from
lower
interest
rates,
he
concludes.
Top
Cheap
Healthcare
Stocks
Healthcare
stocks
underperformed
during
the
first
quarter
of
2024,
yet
as
a
group
are
trading
1%
above
our
fair
value
estimate.
Opportunities
do
exist,
particularly
in
the
biotech
industry,
as
well
as
among
providers
and
services,
healthcare
plans,
and
drug
manufacturers,
reports
Morningstar
sector
director
Damien
Conover.
We
don’t
think
the
market
fully
appreciates
the
innovation
in
the
biotech
and
drugmaker
group,
in
particular.
Inexpensive
Industrials
Stocks
Industrials
stocks
slightly
outperformed
the
broader
market
during
the
first
quarter
of
2024
and
look
13%
overvalued
today.
Morningstar
sector
director
Brian
Bernard
reports
that
isolated
investment
opportunities
remain
in
the
aerospace
and
defense,
farm
and
heavy
construction
machinery,
and
waste
management
industries.
Overlooked
Real
Estate
Stocks
to
Buy
Real
estate
stocks
finished
the
first
quarter
of
2024
in
the
red
and
currently
trade
at
an
11%
discount
to
our
fair
value
estimate.
More
than
half
of
the
names
in
the
sector
are
trading
in
either
the
4-
or
5-star
range,
says
Morningstar
senior
equity
analyst
Kevin
Brown.
We
expect
rental
rate,
revenue,
and
net
operating
income
growth
to
remain
positive
in
2024.
Undervalued
Technology
Stocks
for
2024
Technology
stocks
continued
to
win
big
in
the
first
quarter,
outperforming
the
broad
market.
The
tech
sector
looks
8%
overvalued
heading
into
the
second
quarter
of
2024.
Morningstar
senior
analyst
Dan
Romanoff
says
there
are
a
few
but
not
many
buying
opportunities
in
semiconductors,
hardware,
and
software.
We
think
the
most
important
catalyst
for
the
sector
in
2024
revolves
around
generative
artificial
intelligence.
Underpriced
Stocks:
Utilities
Utilities
stocks
lagged
the
broader
market
during
the
first
quarter;
the
sector
is
7%
undervalued
heading
into
the
second
quarter.
Nearly
three
fourths
of
the
stocks
we
cover
in
the
sector
are
trading
in
buying
range.
We
think
the
best
positioned
utilities
are
those
in
regions
with
strong
energy
demand
growth
and
widespread
support
of
clean
energy
investments,
say
Morningstar
sector
strategists
Travis
Miller
and
Andrew
Bischof.
How
to
Find
Undervalued
Stocks
to
Buy
Undervalued
stocks
are
those
that
trade
below
what
they’re
worth.
Investors
can
turn
to
several
metrics
to
gauge
a
stock’s
worth.
Some
investors
use
standard
metrics,
such
as
price/earnings
or
price/cash
flow.
Others
may
look
at
a
stock’s
price
relative
to
a
company’s
future
growth
prospects,
or
where
a
stock
is
trading
relative
to
its
52-week
high
price.
At
Morningstar,
we
define
undervalued
stocks
as
those
that
are
trading
below
our
calculated
fair
value
estimate,
adjusted
for
what
we
call
uncertainty—both
of
which
are
wrapped
into
the
Morningstar
Rating
for
stocks.
Stocks
rated
4
and
5
stars
are
undervalued;
those
rated
3
stars
are
fairly
valued;
and
those
rated
1
or
2
stars
are
overvalued.
For
more
about
how
we
calculate
our
fair
value
estimates,
think
about
the
Morningstar
Uncertainty
Rating,
and
more,
read
Morningstar’s
Guide
to
Stock
Investing.
This
story
was
originally
published
on
Morningstar.com
on
April
2.
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