3 Stocks For Long Term Investors

1. AK Steel (AKS) has dropped quite a bit over the last few weeks. The steelmaker has shed almost 25% of its value since April 6th. Shares have dropped due to increasing iron ore prices and a sketchy forecast for the next two quarters. It may take a few quarters for shares to rebound but the current price for AK Steel has gotten my attention. Shares were last trading at $18.91 in the after hours market. Iron ore may cut into the firm’s short term profits but sales are still strong as noted by the Q1 earnings. The lowest analyst estimate for AK Steel’s 2011 earnings is $1.30 which would mean that shares are trading at 14.6 times earnings even with the most pessimistic forecast.

2. Goldman Sachs (GS) is in the midst of a media nightmare. The investment banking firm is facing potential lawsuits and tighter regulatory scrutiny. Investing in Goldman is a long term endeavor. It may take a year or a year and a half but Goldman will survive the media storm and find a new way to boost earnings. Goldman is always ahead of the curve and there is no doubt that the firm’s trading desk will find new ways to make money. If investors get a chance to buy shares anywhere near the $115 warrant price that Buffett owns, then they should buy shares.

3. Citigroup (C) is finally looking like a good buy. Wait for the government to unload its shares onto the market. As the government unloads stock, shares of Citigroup should decline giving investors an opportunity to buy. The government is preparing to unload its 27% stake in Citigroup beginning with the sale of $7.7 billion shares in Citigroup stock soon. The government will make a profit as long as shares are sold above $3.25. Investors should be able to buy the stock in the mid to high $3 range.

Disclosure: I own shares of Goldman Sachs. I previously owned AK Steel but sold off my position at $25.

 

Photo by: TreyDanger

AK Steel Purchase

I started a position in AK Steel(AKS) at $23.60 for a short term trade.

I picked up additional shares of Bank of America(BAC) at $16.30 for my long term portfolio.

Steel Stocks Still Bottoming

Shares of Nucor (NUE) dropped to $33 yesterday amid news that the steel operator expects to report a 1st quarter loss due to weak global demand for steel. Nucor expects a weak 2nd and 3rd quarter in 2009 if economic conditions remain the same. US Steel, Ak Steel and Arcleor Mittal were all down as well on Nucor’s news. I think that metal stocks represent an intriguing value right now and have been buying shares of US Steel in the teens. If stimulus packages done in the US and China have any effect; I would expect the demand for basic materials to rise as well.

Metals Look Cheap

US Steel (X) is looking attractive at $22.  The steelmaker is expected to earn $5.40 per share in 2010 which means the stock is trading at 4 times next years earnings. The industry average for steel companies is 7.5 which would value US Steel at $40.50.

Alcoa (AA) is interesting at $6 per share. Analysts expect .60 per share earnings for next year which would place a multiple of 10 on Alcoa. The scary thing about Alcoa is that the company may have negative earnings if aluminum prices stay cheap.

AK Steel (AKS) looks like at a takeover target at its current price. The company has a decent balance sheet and currently trades at $6.68. 2010 earnings are expected to come in around $1.70. It might be worth buying in the mid 5′s.