On Friday, October 17, the stock market went up as traders digested softer trade talks signals from the US on China.
The Dow Jones gained 0.52%. The Nasdaq Composite also rose by 0.52%. The S&P 500 increased by 0.53%.
Stocks gained more in afternoon trading after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced he would speak with his Chinese trade counterpart. At the White House, President Trump also said that a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping was still possible at the end of October. This indicates that the threat of 100% additional tariffs on China due on November 1 might not happen.
Ross Mayfield, an investment strategist at Baird, told CNBC:
“The positive sentiment this afternoon has a lot to do with President Trump’s comments about China … that he understands the tariff threat posed was not sustainable. I’m sure there will be ups and downs in these negotiations, but I think [Trump’s announcement] sets a baseline that the administration doesn’t want to see a repeat of a Liberation Day-type sell-off.”
With this in mind, let’s take a look at 11 dirt-cheap stocks to buy according to analysts.
Stocks
Our Methodology
To compile our list of the 11 dirt-cheap stocks to buy according to analysts, we used the Finviz stock screener to find stocks with a forward P/E ratio of less than 10. Next, we sorted our results based on market capitalization and picked the top 50 dirt cheap stocks trading at under 10 times their forward earnings as of October 17, 2025. We focused on the top 11 stocks that analysts believe have the most potential for growth. Finally, we ranked the 11 dirt-cheap stocks to buy based on their average price target upside potential according to analysts as of October 17, 2025.
Additionally, we mentioned the hedge fund sentiment surrounding each stock, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q2 2025 database of 983 elite hedge funds.
Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
11 Dirt Cheap Stocks to Buy According to Analysts
11. The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI)
Forward P/E: 9.14
Average Price Target Upside Potential According to Analysts: 23.80%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 80
The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) is one of the best dirt-cheap stocks to buy according to analysts. On October 15, Wolfe Research lowered its price target on The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) from $345 to $325 and kept an Outperform rating.
Wolfe Research pointed out that even after moderating its numbers slightly, it still sees The Cigna Group’s (NYSE:CI) stock as cheap at about 9 times its revised 2026 EPS forecast.
The research firm believes The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) is in a strong position to benefit from margin recovery efforts in its Stop Loss business and it also expects the Evernorth division to continue delivering solid performance.
Wolfe Research also sees The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) as relatively defensively positioned given the current uncertainty around government rules and regulations in the healthcare industry.
The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) is an American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company that offers products and services marketed under Cigna Healthcare, Evernorth Health Services, and other subsidiaries.
10. KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY)
Forward P/E: 9.57
Average Price Target Upside Potential According to Analysts: 23.82%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 44
KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) is one of the best dirt-cheap stocks to buy according to analysts. On October 17, DA Davidson slightly reduced its price target on KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) from $22 to $21 and kept a Buy rating.
DA Davidson noted that KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) reported strong Q3 2025 results and raised its full-year revenue guidance. However, the firm believes that consensus estimates have already taken this into account.
The research firm pointed out that KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) is showing signs of recovery and the company’s management also expects the revenue momentum to continue into 2026.
DA Davidson also highlighted that KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) has strong capital levels compared to peers and its credit quality is also solid.
KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) is a bank-based financial services company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. It provides a range of services including commercial banking, investment banking, and consumer finance to individuals and businesses across 15 states.
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