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Want to add massive long-term growth potential to your portfolio? Check out electric car stocks.

Many EV makers have seen their sales skyrocket in recent years. Yet their stock prices haven’t always followed suit, creating several compelling buying opportunities over the years. This month looks like an especially great time to jump in.

If you want to buy into the world’s adoption of EVs — a story that is truly a multi-decade growth opportunity — then these two stocks are for you. One you’ve likely heard of. But the other is a diamond in the rough.

Don’t be shy about buying shares in Tesla

Perhaps the most popular EV maker in the world is Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA). Its boisterous CEO, Elon Musk, is constantly making the news. And with nearly $100 billion in sales, Tesla dominates the EV industry of several major markets, the U.S. included.

You’re likely already familiar with the company’s lineup. Tesla offers premium models like the Roadster, Model X, Cybertruck, and the Model S. But it also offers a few mass-market vehicles. These are typically vehicles under the $50,000 price mark, a common benchmark for gleaning whether a car or truck will be accessible to the masses.

While Tesla does have exposure to other markets like energy generation and storage, more than 90% of its revenue is still tied to its EV business. And while its luxury models helped put it on the map, it really was its two mass-market models — the Model Y and Model 3 — that helped Tesla’s sales grow by more than 1,000% over the past decade. After all, the volumes that can be achieved through a $50,000 car are perhaps an order of magnitude higher than what can be achieved with a $100,000 car.

Due to weaker-than-expected sales growth this year for the EV industry, the stocks of most EV producers have suffered. Tesla hasn’t been immune to these pressures, but its valuation still doesn’t look like an obvious bargain. Shares currently trade at 7.9 times sales — roughly what they traded for nearly two years ago, when quarterly sales growth was around 30%.

But a bet on Tesla today isn’t about the near term — it’s about the multidecade growth trajectory for EVs in general. The IEA forecasts EV demand to grow by double digits for decades to come. And Tesla has what most EV start-ups only dream of: access to capital.

So while the stock isn’t as big of a bargain as the next stock on this list, Tesla is still a reasonable investment for those looking to bet on EV companies with the best chance of riding the long-term EV adoption wave.

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This EV stock looks like a hidden gem

Want to invest in the next Tesla? Look no further than Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN). The EV maker might not have the brand-name recognition of Tesla right now, but in the coming years, that could change quickly.

The company expects to release its first mass-market vehicles — the R2, R3, and R3X — beginning in 2026. And if Tesla is any indication, sales could quickly rise by 1,000% more in the years that follow.

Despite this impending sales ramp, Rivian shares trade at a steep discount to Tesla on a price-to-sales basis. What’s going on?

As a smaller competitor with a sales base of just $5 billion, the market is understandably skeptical that Rivian can execute on its sales ramp. While Tesla is a success story, there have been many more bankruptcies in the EV space than successes. Rivian not only needs to raise billions in additional capital to support its launch plans, but also to scale up manufacturing capabilities greater than any other time in its history. And then, of course, it needs to produce cars that people love at a price point they can afford.

Due to these concerns, Rivian shares have fallen by roughly 55% in 2024, versus a much lesser 12% decline for Tesla shares. This has created a great buying opportunity this month for investors willing to take on extra risk in exchange for the high potential returns involved in identifying the next big EV brand.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

• Amazon: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2010, you’d have $21,266!*

• Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $43,047!*

• Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $389,794!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See 3 “Double Down” stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of October 7, 2024

Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

2 Top Electric Vehicle (EV) Stocks to Buy in October was originally published by The Motley Fool

Fundamentals over hype.

Indeed that’s the lesson for Tesla (TSLA) investors after the EV maker’s disappointing robotaxi event exposed a disconnect between the stock’s lofty valuation and reality.

A lack of details surrounding the rollout plan and regulatory approval, plus no mention of a more affordable regular EV left Wall Street wanting more.

CFRA analyst Garrett Nelson likened the event to “watching a movie with a lot of plot twists and special effects, and at the end, you’re walking out scratching your head.”

Safe to say analysts “scratching their heads” was probably not the reaction Musk was hoping for when showing off the Cybercab and Robovan concepts. Now, the big issue for investors is reevaluating Tesla’s stock price.

On Friday, more than $60 billion was wiped off of Tesla’s valuation in a selloff, a sharp reversal from the stock’s recent momentum. Shares had soared over 70% since Musk started touting AI in April. The rally brought Tesla’s market value to over $760 billion ahead of the robotaxi announcement— more than 14 times GM’s (GM) market cap and nearly 18 times Ford’s (F).

Nelson, who had been a longtime bull on Tesla, warned Friday’s drop “could be” just the beginning as Wall Street reassesses.

“There is an increasing disconnect between the stock’s lofty valuation and the reality that Tesla’s earnings growth has hit a wall,” he tells me, noting that intermediate-term growth drivers are “unclear.”

In a note to clients, Bernstein’s Toni Sacconaghi reiterated his belief that Tesla’s valuation is disconnected from fundamentals, writing the robotaxi event was “short on immediate deliverables or incremental revenue drivers.”

Sacconaghi estimated that Tesla’s automotive business is worth around $200 billion, suggesting that nearly $600 billion of its valuation hinges on its less proven ventures, including Full Self Driving (FSD), robotaxis, and humanoid robots.

As my colleague Akiko Fujita wrote, robotaxis are a costly venture, and may be years away from becoming profitable.

The absence of near-term catalysts comes at an already challenging time for Tesla. Lackluster demand and increased EV competition from the likes of GM have pressured sales and margins in recent quarters, and it’s a trend that pros warn is unlikely to change anytime soon.

In Q2, the company reported operating margins of 6.3%, compared to 14.6% just two years earlier.

Guggenheim’s Ron Jewsikow, who sees fair value around $153 per share, told me that post-robotaxi event, investors will “return to focusing on the fundamentals of the business,” which he characterized as “quite poor.”

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“A business trading at 100 times next year’s earnings, with little to no free cash flow, is really difficult to underwrite,” he added.

With its shares falling 9% on Friday and down over 17% in the past year, it’s safe to say Tesla has a lot to prove when it comes to the fundamentals. Its next big test will be its third-quarter earnings, scheduled for after the bell on October 23.

Will it be more hype than fundamentals? Buckle up!

Seana Smith is an anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Smith on Twitter @SeanaNSmith. Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations, or anything else? Email seanasmith@yahooinc.com.

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There’s no wrong way to put your money to work on Wall Street, but some methods produce more reliable gains than others. If you’re looking for a relatively safe and easy way to grow the stream of income you’ll have to work with during your retirement years, buying dividend-paying stocks and holding them for long periods is a terrific option.

During the 50-year period that ended in 2023, dividend-paying stocks in the S&P 500 index returned 9.17% annually on average. That’s more than double the return produced by their non-dividend-paying cousins. During the same period, the average dividend non-payers in the benchmark index returned just 4.27% annually, according to Ned Davis Research and Hartford funds.

You don’t need to be rich to put your money to work for you. At the moment, shares of AT&T (NYSE: T), Hercules Capital (NYSE: HTGC), and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) offer dividend yields of 5% or better, and you can buy a share of all three with less than $100. Adding them to a portfolio now gives you a good chance to outperform the market while they beef up your passive-income stream.

1. AT&T

AT&T lowered its dividend payout in 2022 to adjust for the sale of its unpredictable media assets. Now that it’s strictly a telecommunications business, the cash flows it uses to make dividend payments should be extra reliable. At recent prices, the stock offers a 5.2% dividend yield.

Traditional-wireline subscriptions are still shrinking, but this headwind is easily overcome by demand for services that run on its 5G network and a growing web of fiber-optic cables. In the second quarter, mobility-service revenue rose 3.4% year over year, and this isn’t the only operation driving growth.

The three-month period ended June 30 was the 18th consecutive quarter in which AT&T added over 200,000 new fiber-internet subscribers. Late last year, the company also launched a fixed-wireless service for folks who aren’t located next to fiber optic cables. As a result, Q2 consumer-broadband sales rose 7% year over year.

At $2.7 billion in Q2, consumer broadband is responsible for less than 10% of total revenue. AT&T is one of just three telecom companies with a nationwide 5G network, so investors can reasonably rely on its consumer-broadband business to drive growth for many years to come.

2. Hercules Capital

Hercules Capital is a business development company (BDC), which means it can avoid income taxes by giving nearly all of its earnings to shareholders as a dividend payment. At recent prices, the stock’s regular distribution offers a big 8% yield.

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Hercules also offers a supplemental dividend that it set at $0.32 per share this year. If next year’s supplemental dividend remains unchanged, investors who buy this stock at recent prices will receive a 9.7% yield.

Most BDCs originate relatively high-interest loans to established mid-sized businesses that already earn money. Hercules Capital takes a riskier approach to financing by engaging start-ups in the life science and technology industries before they have any recurring revenues to report.

In isolation, the bets Hercules makes are extremely risky. The potential payoffs are so large, though, that the company can report strong-earnings growth if just a fraction of its investments succeed.

Hercules has raised or maintained its regular distribution since 2010, and continued movement in the right direction seems likely. In the first half of 2024, the BDC reported $1.07 billion in total-gross funding, which was 28% more than the previous-year period.

3. Pfizer

Sales of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and antiviral treatment broke records regarding its rate of growth and decline. Sales of Comirnaty and Paxlovid shot up to a combined $56.7 billion in 2022. Less than a year and a half later, sales of the same two drugs collapsed to an annualized $1.8 billion.

Don’t let its recent ups and downs confuse you. Pfizer is a reliable dividend payer that has raised its payout every year since 2009. At recent prices, it offers a 5.7% yield that will be easier to predict now that sinking sales of its COVID-19 products are responsible for less than 3% of total revenue.

Pfizer’s dividend payout is supported by one of the largest catalogs of drugs with patent-protected market exclusivity. In the first half of 2024, a dozen of its products grew sales by a double-digit percentage compared to the previous year period.

One of the investments Pfizer made with its pandemic-related earnings haul was the $43 billion acquisition of cancer drug developer Seagen. The purchase gave Pfizer access to four commercial-stage treatments, including Padcev. In late 2023, Padcev became a chemotherapy-free option for newly diagnosed bladder cancer patients. As such, sales are expected to reach $8 billion annually by 2030.

Padcev is one of several blockbuster drugs that could help Pfizer continue its dividend-raising streak. Adding some shares to a diverse portfolio now seems like the right move.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

• Amazon: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2010, you’d have $21,022!*

• Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $43,329!*

• Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $393,839!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See 3 “Double Down” stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of October 7, 2024

Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

3 Reliable Dividend Stocks With Yields Above 5% That You Can Buy With Less Than $100 Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool