I’m searching for the best FTSE 100 bargain stocks to buy right now. Here are three I think could be too good to miss.
Airtel Africa
Last week it was announced that Singapore Telecom International had sold some 60m shares in Airtel Africa (LSE: AAF). Unsurprisingly, the FTSE 100 company’s share price sank as spooked investors headed for the exit.
It’s my opinion that this sharp reversal reflects a top buying opportunity. At current prices, Airtel Africa trades on a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 7.4 times. This is well below the widely-regarded bargain benchmark of 10 times.
Airtel Africa operates in highly-regulated sectors (telecoms and finance). This means its profitability is under constant threat from lawmakers. Unfavourable legislation on how it conducts its operations and sells its products can significantly undermine its growth potential and yank the share price lower.
However, as things stand, I think the rewards of owning Airtel Africa outweigh the risks. Demand for the Footsie firm’s telecoms and mobile money business looks set to explode along with population and wealth levels in Africa.
Consultancy Analysys Maso, for example, believes telecoms service revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa will rise at a solid compound annual growth rate of 4.7% between 2020 and 2026.
Taylor Wimpey
Housebuilders like Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) have fallen recently on some truly-scary inflation readings. It’s feared that the Bank of England could step up interest rate hikes in a bid to curb price rises.
It’s my opinion though that the threat to homebuyer affordability that rising rates bring is reflected by Taylor Wimpey’s share price. The forward P/E ratio sits at just 7.2 times today. Equally appealing is the housebuilder’s dividend yield which sits at 6.8% at current share prices.
I’m encouraged by the strength of trading data that continues to come in from London’s quoted housebuilders. The steady stream of positive news follows Taylor Wimpey’s own comments in early March that “demand for our homes remains strong”.
I expect sales of newbuild properties to remain strong for a long time, given Britain’s rising population and the lack of available homes entering the market.
JD Sports Fashion
I’m also giving JD Sports Fashion (LSE: JD) a close look today. It’s been heavily sold on fears that the cost of living crisis will hammer demand for its pricey sportswear.
As a consequence, JD now trades on a forward P/E multiple of 13.6 times. This isn’t cheap on paper. But it sits well below the FTSE 100 firm’s historical average above 20 times.
And it’s a reading I feel doesn’t reflect the strength of its brand or the bright outlook for the ‘athleisure’ fashion segment. According to Global Market Research, sales of comfortable sports clothing will more than double worldwide between now and 2030.
It’ll be worth a colossal £660bn by the end of the decade, the consultancy reckons. JD’s aggressive expansion programme will leave it well-placed exploit this theme too. I’d use recent share price weakness as an opportunity to also buy this FTSE 100 bargain stock.
