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After a true annus horribilus, we’re all ready for better times. The US equity strategy team at Goldman Sachs, led by David Kostin, sees those better time ahead, and in the near-term. The team is predicting a 25% gain for the S&P 500 within the next 24 months – or to put it in absolute numbers, they believe the index will hit 4,600 by December 2022. Kostin lays out four clear reasons for believing that we’re at the start of another prolonged bull run. First, he notes the generally improving economic conditions; second, he points out corporate earnings growth; third, are the historically low interest rates, as the Fed sticks to its near-zero rate policy; and finally, there’s TINA, or ‘there is no alternative.’ Stocks are entering a virtuous circle, Kostin believes, as they offer the highest returns available for now.In a recent interview, Goldman’s chief equity strategist said of these points, “That's the story, it's about an economy that's getting better, coming off the pandemic, and generally getting better, and the Fed on hold. All of that is to the positive and I think the market is recognizing that and will continue to do that.”Goldman Sachs analysts are following Kostin’s lead, and pointing out three stocks that they think will gain from the general market rise. We ran the trio through TipRanks database to see what other Wall Street's analysts have to say about them.Lordstown Motors (RIDE)The first Goldman's choice is Lordstown Motors. This Ohio-based company, closely linked to Big 3 standard General Motors, is an electric vehicle maker. The company works out of the GM’s old Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant, which it purchased last year. Lordstown boasts over 6.2 million square feet of production floor space, and a capacity of 600,000 vehicles per year. The company’s flagship vehicle is the all-wheel drive Endurance pickup truck. The vehicle is based on a unique design, using individual electric motors at each wheel hub. The Endurance is scheduled for delivery in the fall of 2021.Founded in 2018, Lordstown Motors went public earlier this year through a merger with a ‘blank check’ company. These transactions are designed to provide capital for companies looking to enter the public market. As part of preparations for releasing its Endurance truck, Lordstown has entered into an agreement with Camping World Holdings (CWH), the RV maker. Camping World will train its mechanics on the new truck, and provide garage floor space for Lordstown’s customers. The agreement includes potentials for expansion, such as sharing sales, space and providing electric drive systems for RVs.Covering this stock for Goldman Sachs, analyst Mark Delaney writes, “We believe this collaboration is a first step to address Lordstown’s service footprint and charging infrastructure, and we view Lordstown’s decision to leverage an existing service footprint as a cost effective strategy… we believe that the broader customer experience, including service and charging, plays a significant role in product differentiation and can help EV start-ups to be successful. In our view, the ease and reliability of maintenance and charging is particularly important to Lordstown’s fleet/commercial customer base, which is focused on vehicle up-time.”In line with these comments, Delaney rates RIDE shares a Buy along with a $31 price target for the next 12 months. At current levels, that implies a 67% upside potential. (To watch Delaney’s track record, click here)Overall, RIDE shares get a Hold from the analyst consensus, reflecting Wall Street caution toward a new – and highly speculative – endeavor. The rating is derived from 4 recent reviews, evenly split between 2 Buys and 2 Sells. However, the $27.50 average price target suggests that RIDE has a 48% upside for the year ahead. (See RIDE stock analysis on TipRanks)Liberty Global (LBTYA)Next up is Liberty Global, a holding company in the telecom sector. Liberty has a global presence with operations in seven European countries: the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland. The company boasts annual revenues in excess of $11 billion.Through its subsidiaries, Liberty serves over 11 million customers with a combined 25 million subscriptions to broadband internet, TV, and telephone services. The company also claims 6 million mobile and wifi subscribers. Liberty is a leading investor in European digital and online infrastructure projects.Among the company’s recent moves was the acquisition of Swiss telecom provider Sunrise Communications last month. With completion of the transactions, Liberty Global now owns over 98% of Sunrise’s total share capital, making the Swiss company of a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Global Group.Goldman Sachs analyst Andrew Lee, in an extensive review of Liberty’s current business and market position, points out the Swiss acquisition as a key factor for the company’s future. He writes, “We view Sunrise as a quality asset, with sustained market share growth potential. We expect this to benefit LBTYA directly as Sunrise continues to win share from Swisscom but also to help stabilize the UPC asset.”Lee gives LBTYA shares a Buy rating along with a $33 price target. This figure implies ~36% one-year upside from current levels. (To watch Lee’s track record, click here)Like RIDE above, Liberty has an even split among its recent reviews – in this case, 3 Buys and 2 Holds, making the analyst consensus view a Moderate Buy. The shares are priced at $24.32, and the average price target of $30.12 indicates room for ~24% growth from that level. (See LBTYA stock analysis on TipRanks)Lufax Holding (LU)Fintech is a rapidly growing niche, and Lufax operates a personal financial services platform serving the Chinese market. The company provides wealth management for the fast-growing middle class in China, a population that is not only growing in size but also in affluence. Lufax offers financing solutions for personal and business loans to this population, which is not always well-served by China’s established banking sector. The company’s customer base includes small business owners and salaried workers.Revenue for the third quarter, reported earlier this month, came in at $2 billion in US currency. The EPS of 24 cents beat the estimates by 10 cents, or 71%. These numbers were down year-over-year, however.The key uncertainty facing Lufax at the present is state regulation. China’s government, while permitting a market-based economy, keeps a tight grip on economic activity generally, and modern, cutting edge companies like Lufax can run afoul of regulators who are sometimes uncomfortable with the digital world. The prospect of tighter regulation, as government officials seek to impose controls on fintech, has some investors worried.After an extensive review of the Chinese tech regulatory environment, Goldman’s Elsie Cheng, who covers Lufax, noted: “We remain constructive on Lufax’s capability to navigate through the continually evolving regulatory environment and deliver consistent value-add to its consumers/financial partners.”In light of that, Cheng rates LU a Buy alongside a $20 price target, which implies a 34% upside for the year ahead. (To watch Cheng’s track record, click here)All in all, the Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating on Lufax is based on 7 reviews, including 4 Buys and 3 Holds. The average price target of $17.70 indicates a potential 15% upside next year. (See LU stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
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