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1 Stock Under $50 for Long-Term Investors and 2 We Brush Off

HOPE Cover Image

The $10-50 price range often includes mid-sized businesses with proven track records and plenty of growth runway ahead. They also usually carry less risk than penny stocks, though they’re not immune to volatility as many lack the scale advantages of their larger peers.

Luckily for you, our mission at StockStory is to help you make money and avoid losses by sorting the winners from the losers. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock under $50 with massive upside potential and two that could be down big.

Two Stocks Under $50 to Sell:

Hope Bancorp (HOPE)

Share Price: $10.46

With roots in serving Korean-American communities and now expanded to a multi-ethnic clientele across 12 states, Hope Bancorp (NASDAQ: HOPE) operates Bank of Hope, providing commercial and retail banking services with a focus on serving multi-ethnic communities across the United States.

Why Should You Sell HOPE?

  1. Sales tumbled by 11% annually over the last two years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
  2. Loans are facing end-market challenges during this cycle, as seen in its flat net interest income over the last five years
  3. Sales were less profitable over the last two years as its earnings per share fell by 21% annually, worse than its revenue declines

Hope Bancorp’s stock price of $10.46 implies a valuation ratio of 0.6x forward P/B. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than HOPE.

Navient (NAVI)

Share Price: $11.72

Spun off from Sallie Mae in 2014 to handle the company's loan servicing and collection operations, Navient (NASDAQ: NAVI) provides education loan servicing and business processing solutions that help manage federal student loans, private education loans, and government services.

Why Is NAVI Risky?

  1. Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 18.7% annually over the last five years
  2. Falling earnings per share over the last five years has some investors worried as stock prices ultimately follow EPS over the long term
  3. Debt-to-equity ratio of 18.6× shows the firm has taken on excessive debt, leaving little room for error

Navient is trading at $11.72 per share, or 10.9x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with NAVI, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).

One Stock Under $50 to Watch:

Eastern Bank (EBC)

Share Price: $17.55

Founded in 1818 as one of America's oldest mutual banks before converting to a public company in 2020, Eastern Bankshares (NASDAQ: EBC) operates as a bank holding company providing commercial and retail banking services primarily in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Why Do We Like EBC?

  1. Market share has increased this cycle as its 14.7% annual net interest income growth over the last five years was exceptional
  2. Efficiency ratio improved by 15.2 percentage points over the last five years as it scaled
  3. Earnings per share grew by 6.4% annually over the last two years, massively outpacing its peers

At $17.55 per share, Eastern Bank trades at 1x forward P/B. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free for active Edge members .

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

Fresh US-China trade tensions just tanked stocks—but strong bank earnings are fueling a sharp rebound. Don’t miss the bounce.

Don’t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today

StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.

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