On June 7, Torsten Slok, Apollo Global Management, joined ‘Closing Bell Overtime’ on CNBC to discuss the US jobs report and the broader economic landscape. He reaffirmed his previous stance that while soft economic data was concerning, it didn’t signal an imminent recession, and a divergence between soft and hard data that would eventually converge. As the better-than-expected jobs report also came out, he acknowledged that even though the numbers show some softening in the labor market, they still indicate a relatively decent situation. He also noted the market’s current worry about rising wage inflation.
Slok explained that the market has been attempting to gauge the magnitude of the trade war’s impact. Unlike events such as COVID-19 or the Lehman Brothers crisis, he stated the trade war’s shock has so far been mild, not yet affecting hard data as much. However, he warned that over the next several months, as companies adapt to high tariff levels, earnings will increasingly be negatively impacted. Slok concludes that the combination of the trade war’s ongoing impact on earnings for several months and quarters ahead, alongside the continued rise in interest rates, presents plenty of things to worry about regarding economic headwinds.
Slok underscored that slowing the economy takes time, and companies are currently trying to respond to the existing tariff levels. If tariffs remain at current levels, companies, particularly those vulnerable to trade, will continue to adjust. This adjustment remains a headwind for S&P earnings and GDP. Slok cited the Yale Budget Lab’s prediction of a minus 0.7 drag on GDP growth due to the trade war. He clarified that this drag, while not severe enough to cause a recession, is sufficient to put upward pressure on the unemployment rate for the next several months.
That being said, we’re here with a list of the 9 best inexpensive stocks to buy right now.
A portfolio manager studying various stocks and other securities on a tablet.
Our Methodology
We used the Finviz stock screener to compile a list of the top stocks with a forward P/E ratio of 20 or less, as of June 10. We then selected the 9 best inexpensive stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q1 2025.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
8 Best Inexpensive Stocks to Buy Right Now
8. Seagate Technology Holdings (NASDAQ:STX)
Forward P/E Ratio as of June 10: 14.03
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 55
Seagate Technology Holdings (NASDAQ:STX) is one of the 8 Best Inexpensive Stocks to Buy Right Now. On June 9, Bank of America raised its price target for Seagate to $145 from $135, while maintaining a Buy rating on the stock. This optimism follows the 2025 BofA Global Technology Conference, where the analyst gained a more bullish outlook on the Hard Disk Drive/HDD industry.
BofA anticipates that rising hyperscaler demand will outpace Exabyte production growth in the upcoming quarters, which suggests a favorable environment for Seagate and the broader HDD sector. In FQ3 2025, the company reported revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, which was a 31% year-on-year increase. Hard Drive Revenue alone was $2 billion.
The company achieved its eighth consecutive quarter of gross margin expansion in FQ3 and recorded its third-highest operating margin in history. Seagate’s advanced HAMR-based Mozaic drives, which are the industry’s only 3 terabyte per disk products, are now ramping up volume to qualified customers. The company has strong demand visibility extending into H1 2026, with new build-to-order agreements currently under negotiation.
Seagate Technology Holdings (NASDAQ:STX) provides data storage technology and infrastructure solutions internationally. It sells its products primarily to OEMs, distributors, and retailers.
7. AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN)
Forward P/E Ratio as of June 10: 16.21
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 56
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) is one of the 8 Best Inexpensive Stocks to Buy Right Now. On June 9, the first patient was dosed by AstraZeneca in the DESTINY-Endometrial01 phase 3 trial. AstraZeneca is jointly developing and commercializing ENHERTU, which is the drug being evaluated in the DESTINY-Endometrial01 phase 3 trial, with Daiichi Sankyo under a global collaboration.
The study is evaluating ENHERTU (trastuzumab deruxtecan) as a first-line therapy for patients with HER2-expressing (IHC 3+/2+), mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) primary advanced (stage III/IV) or first recurrent endometrial cancer of any histologic subtype except sarcoma. The trial will assess ENHERTU (at a dose of 5.4 mg/kg) in combination with either rilvegostomig or pembrolizumab, compared to the current standard of care, platinum-based chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) in combination with pembrolizumab.
Endometrial cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer and the sixth most common cancer among women globally. In 2022, ~420,000 cases were diagnosed, which led to ~97,000 deaths worldwide. Incidence and mortality rates are projected to increase by ~61% and 87%, respectively, by 2050. The new phase 3 trial aims to further understand ENHERTU’s role in combination with immunotherapy as a potential first-line treatment strategy.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and commercializes prescription medicines. It serves primary and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the UK, the US, Europe, and Asia.