While the technology sector overall has had a rough year, there are some stocks in the space that now trade at a significant discount and are highly favored by Wall Street analysts. For long-term investors, it means that now may be a good time to snap up these names and wait out the storm. To find Wall Street’s favorite discounted tech stocks, CNBC Pro looked for Nasdaq 100 names with a forward price-to-earnings ratio less than the overall index, then sorted for stocks trading at a 20% — or greater — discount to their average five-year forward multiples. From there, CNBC Pro selected names that have buy ratings from at least 60% of analysts along with average price targets implying upside of 15% or more. The cheap tech stocks analysts favor The most discounted name on the list is PayPal . Wall Street analysts covering the stock think it can surge more than 42% from current levels. In September, Raymond James upgraded shares of PayPal to outperform from market perform , saying it is exactly the kind of stock investors should want to own in an uncertain market as it has defensive growth potential, solid free cash flow generation, a clean balance sheet and higher 2023 estimates. They also said it’s a good time to buy because of the company’s current valuation — shares have slumped more than 60% year to date. The company with the highest upside to its consensus price target is Match Group. Analysts see it jumping more than 45% from current levels. It’s trading at a more than 52% discount as well. Match Group is a solid internet stock pick going into 2023 as it has guard rails heading into year-end, Lauren Schenk of Morgan Stanley wrote in a Nov. 2 note. The “self-help story, sequential acceleration, and several upside drivers set up to be one of the best ’23 stories in our space at compelling valuation, albeit with macro uncertainty,” she wrote. The firm has an overweight rating on the stock. Alphabet also made the list, with analysts seeing a more than 34% upside to shares of the tech company. It’s slumped more than 35% this year. The stock is a favorite among investors – it has the highest buy-rating from analysts that cover the stock at 75.5%. The company lately got a shoutout from Leon Cooperman, who said it is an ideal and “very cheap” holding in an interview with CNBC. Semiconductor stocks Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm are both also on the list. After a few rough years for the industry, analysts are looking to a better future in 2023. In a Dec. 4 note, analysts from KeyBanc said they see a favorable risk versus reward for their semiconductor coverage universe and listed Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm among the stocks they favor. Overall, analysts see the stocks gaining 26% and more than 25%, respectively. The last name on the list is Electronic Arts , which analysts see surging nearly 20% from current levels.
© heardonwallstreet.com