Nate is a serial entrepreneur, part-time investor, and founder of WallStreetZen. He holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from UAlberta Law - but don’t hold that against him. He’s passionate about building great software that delights users. He occasionally writes about himself in the 3rd person.
What are the best cheap stocks to buy right now?
Sound like something you’ve asked Google before? You’re not alone.
It can be tricky to find the best cheap stocks to buy now out of the thousands of options available if you don’t have the right tools.
The good news is we’ve got you covered with 5 of the best cheap stocks to buy now based on a proven set of fundamental metrics and due diligence checks.
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Methodology for Finding the Best Cheap Stocks
To find the best cheap stocks to buy in July 2025, we used a combination of tools on WallStreetZen:
- WallStreetZen’s preset stock screeners: Notably, the Best Undervalued Stocks to Buy Now screener. It incorporates a minimum Zen Score (see #2 below) of 50 and a valuation score of 80 based on factors such as Benjamin Graham’s valuation formula, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation, and various price ratios, such as price-to-earnings and price-to-book.
- Zen Ratings: Our proprietary system that distills 115 factors that drive growth into an easy-to-read letter score. In addition to an overall score, you can see how each stock scores in different areas, including value, growth, momentum, and more. Stocks rated “A” through the Zen Ratings system have produced an average annual return of +32.52% since 2003.
- Strong Buy Ratings from Top Analysts. With WSZ’s Strong Buys from Top Analysts feature, you can zero in on ratings from ONLY top-rated analysts, and you have easy access to their track record and average win rate. In each entry, you can easily see the analyst’s track record, plus the “why” behind their rating.
Let’s dive in…
What are the Best Cheap Stocks to Buy Now?
Here are some of the potential best cheap stocks to buy now:
- Super Group (NYSE: SGHC)
- Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR)
- Gates Industrial (NYSE: GTES)
- Niagen Bioscience (NASDAQ: NAGE)
- IMAX (NYSE: IMAX)
Note: This article does not provide investment advice. The stocks listed should not be taken as recommendations. Your investments are solely your decisions.
1. Super Group (NYSE: SGHC)
The super group consisting of online sports betting brands Betway and Spin (get it?), Super Group has been on a steady upward trajectory after a rough Q1 — and Wall Street is projecting a significant upside in the next 12 months. SGHC depends on an asset-light, tech-driven model, and with a recent move to concentrate on core operations in the United States, there’s hope that the business can continue to scale in a cost-effective manner.
Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $10.14 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $14.00
Why we’re watching:
- SGHC has secured the confidence of Wall Street analysts, as the stock has 4 Strong Buy ratings and 2 Buy ratings, with no Hold, Sell, or Strong Sell ratings. See the ratings
- The average 12-month price forecast for Super Group shares stands at $11.50, and implies an 11.8% upside.
- Clark Lampen of BTIG (a top 5% rated analyst) recently doubled down on a previously set Strong Buy rating, and hiked his price target from $9 to $11.
- Lampen attributed their price target hike on Super Group to “the recent shift in presentation currency and a better setup for the company’s Sportsbook business in FY 2025 and FY 2026 compared to their pre-launch expectations.”
- Super Group is also currently the 3rd highest-rated stock in the Gambling industry, which has an Industry Rating of A.
- SGHC shares rank in the top 5% of the equities we track, giving them a Zen Rating of A.
- The stock ranks in the top 16% in terms of its AI Component Grade rating — in simple terms, a neural network trained on more than 20 years of data has identified it as a likely outperformer.
- Moreover, SGHC ranks in the top 9% according to Growth, and the top 5% in terms of Momentum, owing to a steady 36.68% surge in price in the last three months. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
2. Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR)
An up-and-coming cybersecurity provider (and our Stock of the Week), Radware has seen a notable surge in price following the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Iran. However, it has been on a steady upward trajectory for quite some time now — and recent events have only put a spotlight on the stock, which ranks highly in several important categories.
Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $28.63 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $24.00
Why we’re watching:
- As we’ve noted, RDWR is our Stock of the Week. Our Editor-in-Chief, Steve Reitmeister, added it to his exclusive, 19-stock strong Zen Investor portfolio, and explained why in a Monday article.
- While the outbreak of armed conflicts always puts a spotlight on cybersecurity, with the advancement of technology, attack surfaces that can be leveraged by bad-faith actors are always expanding — so Radware’s prospects aren’t tied solely to military matters.
- The company’s most recent 17% earnings surprise put investors on notice that there is a tremendous growth story unfolding now.
- On top of that, you have a company with a strong balance sheet that includes over $7 in cash per share along with a history of beat and raise earnings reports.
- Radware shares have a Zen Rating of A — moreover, a big-picture review of 115 factors has placed it into the top 2% of the more than 4,600 equities that we track.
- In order to rank so highly, a stock has to demonstrate significant strength in several sub-categories, which we call Component Grade ratings.
- When it comes to both Growth and Momentum, RDWR ranks in the top 8% of stocks.
- No less impressive, however, is the stock’s ranking in terms of Sentiment — where it ranks in the 94th percentile.
- We have to address one important point — at present, the stock is only covered by 1 Wall Street analyst, and his forecast implies a downside. However, on account of a string of earnings beats and solid fundamentals, I’d put much more stock in Steve’s appraisal of Radware’s prospects.
- Last, but certainly not least, is how RDWR stacks up against peers and competitors. The Software Infrastructure industry has an Industry rating of A, and consists of 128 stocks — Radware is the 4th highest-rated one. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
3. Gates Industrial (NYSE: GTES)
Founded 114 years ago and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Gates Industrial, which makes power transmission and fluid power solutions for a wide variety of industries, delivered a double beat in Q1 2025. In roughly a months time, the company will release its next quarterly report — and things are looking quite promising, as GTES ranks highly both in terms of Value and Growth.
Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $22.24 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $30.00
Why we’re watching:
- Gates Industrial stock has a total of 8 analyst ratings — 4 are Strong Buys, while the remaining 4 are split between 1 Buy and 3 Holds. See the ratings
- KeyBanc’s Jeffrey Hammond (a top 7% rated analyst) maintained a Strong Buy rating on GTES on June 9, and increased his price target from $23 to a Street-high $30.
- At present, GTES is the 8th highest-rated stock in the Specialty Industrial Machinery industry, which has an Industry Rating of B.
- Gates Industrial shares rank in the top 10% of the equities we track on the whole, giving them a Zen Rating of B.
- With a P/E ratio of 26.8x and a PEG ratio of 0.87x, the stock is quite cheap at the moment — in fact, it ranks in the top 14% when it comes to its Value Component Grade rating.
- To boot, Gates Industrial stock ranks in the top 23% in terms of Growth.
- Last, but not least, GTES also maintains quite a healthy balance sheet, as it is in the 75th percentile of equities according to Financials. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
4. Niagen Bioscience (NASDAQ: NAGE)
Niagen Bioscience has patented a form of nicotinamide riboside (NR), which has recently demonstrated promising results in the treatment of Werner syndrome in a phase 1 trial. NAGE has already rallied by 148% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, and both Wall Street researchers and our system have it pegged as a likely performer going forward.
Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $13.75 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $23.00
Why we’re watching:
- At present, 4 Wall Street analysts track NAGE and issue ratings for it. The stock currently has 3 Strong Buy ratings and 1 Buy rating. See the ratings
- Roth Capital equity researcher Sean McGowan (a top 26% rated analyst) recently reiterated a Strong Buy rating, and hiked his price target for the stock from $10 to a Street-high $23.
- McGowan hiked their price target on the heels of the 2025/06/09 announcement of positive results of the first clinical study demonstrating the safety and efficacy of Niagen Bioscience’s patented nicotinamide riboside (NR) ingredient, Niagen®, in individuals with Werner syndrome (WS), a rare genetic disorder giving rise to rapid aging and premature mortality.
- The analyst backgrounded that “the stock has been very strong over the last year and continues to offer significant upside potential from the expansion of its addressable markets pending the outcome of a number of trials and studies currently in process.
- Also relevant, McGowan said, were the continued strong growth in sales of TruNiagen, Niagen Bioscience’s core product, the company’s immunity from the impact of tariffs, and encouraging progress regarding several new initiatives, including Niagen Plus, which began rolling out to clinics late last year.
- Niagen Bioscience stock ranks in the top 6% of the equities that we track based on a holistic analysis of 115 proprietary factors, giving it a Zen Rating of B, which corresponds to an average annual return of 19.88%.
- Due to strong earnings per share (EPS) growth, NAGE ranks in the top 12% of stocks in terms of Growth.
- NAGE’s margin growth (from -4.2% to +13.1% within the past year), as well as a low level of leverage (debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47x), have secured for it a spot in the top 3% of equities when it comes to Financials. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
5. IMAX (NYSE: IMAX)
Renowned for its giant screens and immersive sound, IMAX partners with top studios and theaters around the world to deliver premium cinematic experiences. With a strong rebound in global box office revenue underway, some of Wall Street’s top-rated analysts are projecting a lot of upside in the cards for the stock going forward.
Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $27.45 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $36.00
Why we’re watching:
- IMAX stock currently has 4 Strong Buy ratings, 3 Buy ratings, and 1 Hold rating — with no Sell or Strong Sell ratings. See the ratings
- The average 12-month price forecast, currently pegged at $31.63, implies an 11.2% upside.
- Roth Capital’s Eric Handler (a top 6% rated analyst) recently reiterated a Strong Buy rating, and increased his price target on IMAX shares from $32 to a Street-high $36.
- Handler attributed their price target hike to takeaways from discussions with IMAX management.
- The analyst detailed that IMAX’s global box office is experiencing a sizable resurgence and is on track to meet or beat management’s FY 2025 $1.2B guidance because the company’s market share is rising with improved utilization and theatre operator demand for new systems remains robust, particularly in markets with above-average revenue per screen.
- IMAX shares currently rank in the top 9% of equities based on a holistic analysis of 115 proprietary factors that correlate with outsized returns. This gives them a Zen Rating of B, which has historically corresponded with an average annual return of 19.88%.
- In a market marked by plenty of volatility, the stock stands out by ranking quite highly in two very appealing categories, considering current trends. IMAX ranks in the top 9% of stocks when it comes to Safety, as well as the top 7% in terms of Growth, indicating stable cash flows coupled with an appealing rate of earnings per share (EPS) growth. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
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What Makes a Stock Cheap?
What makes a stock cheap depends on your perspective and investment strategy.
Some investors may consider stocks under $30 (or any other number) cheap.
On the other hand, value investors would consider undervalued stocks cheap because they’re trading at a price under their intrinsic value — like the stocks on this list. But it depends on your chosen valuation metric.
One of the hardest parts of stock market investing? Choosing the right stocks.
WallStreetZen offers one of the top stock-picking services out there.
To find these stock picks, I used one of WallStreetZen’s preset stock screeners, Best Undervalued Stocks to Buy Now. But it’s not the only tool the platform has to offer. Not by a long shot.
WallStreetZen’s Top Analysts is our most frequently visited page — here’s why:
Other stock-picking services constantly brag about their winning stock picks — but fail to mention when they’re wrong.
Instead of providing direct picks, we built a service that aggregates the research and recommendations from nearly 4,000 Wall Street analysts — then backtests their performance over multiple years.
Based on this research, analysts are ranked based on average return, frequency of ratings, and win rate — so you can rest assured you’re only following top performers.
Summary: Cheap Best Stocks to Buy Now
In this list, we covered 5 of the best stocks to buy now cheap based on key valuation metrics, such as Discounted Cash Flow and price-to-earnings.
But, while these are potentially good investment candidates, they must be part of a balanced portfolio.
Make sure you understand the risks you take with small and micro-cap stocks as they tend to be much more volatile than larger companies.
For that reason, their performance is less predictable, so it’s wise to spread your bets rather than concentrate them on just a few companies.
And always remember, stocks can stay undervalued for a long time so you need an investment horizon of at least a few years. But that’s not to say that one of these stocks couldn’t surge tomorrow — anything can happen and understanding that is key!
Try out our screener to discover more of the best cheap stocks to buy right now.
FAQ:
What are the best cheap stocks to buy right now?
At writing, the best cheap stocks to buy right now based on analyst ratings include:
1. Super Group (NYSE: SGHC)
2. Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR)
3. Gates Industrial (NYSE: GTES)
4. Niagen Bioscience (NASDAQ: NAGE)
5. IMAX (NYSE: IMAX)
Where to Invest $1,000 Right Now?
Did you know that stocks rated as "Buy" by the Top Analysts in WallStreetZen's database beat the S&P500 by 98.4% last year?
Our July report reveals the 3 "Strong Buy" stocks that market-beating analysts predict will outperform over the next year.
