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Have $1,000? These 2 Stocks Could Be Bargain Buys for 2026 and Beyond

newsfeedback@fool.com (Jack Delaney)
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⚡ Quantum Brief
Two fintech and media stocks—SoFi Technologies and Sirius XM—face volatility in 2026 but show potential as undervalued bargains if their business performance improves this year. SoFi’s stock dropped in 2026 due to a $1.5B secondary offering, AI-driven wealth management fears, and a Muddy Waters report alleging $312M in unrecorded debt, which SoFi denied. CEO Anthony Noto bought $1.5M in shares, signaling confidence. SoFi projects 72% net income growth to $825M in 2026, with Q1 earnings expected to rise 125% year-over-year, supported by expanding financial services like crypto and mortgages. Sirius XM, down 62% over five years, is rebounding in 2026 by investing in exclusive content (Howard Stern, Megyn Kelly) and cutting satellite costs to near zero by 2028, boosting free cash flow. Both stocks trade at low valuations: SoFi’s PEG ratio fell to 1.3, while Sirius XM’s forward P/E of 7.5 undershoots rivals like Spotify (35.7), hinting at upside potential.
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In this article, I'm looking at two companies that could be bargains at today's prices, but to show that to be the case, their business performances will have to do the talking in 2026. The first is a fintech operator that had a big stock price jump in 2025 but is experiencing a significant pullback so far this year for a handful of reasons. The other has a monopoly in satellite radio, and while shares are up in 2026, it still has significant ground to make up, with the stock price down 62% over the last five years. Image source: Getty Images. Stock No. 1: SoFi Technologies Shares of SoFi Technologies (SOFI +1.17%) have been under pressure for a variety of reasons in 2026. A specific investor concern that followed the company from last year into this one was a $1.5 billion secondary stock offering priced at $27.50 per share in early December 2025.Shareholders became worried about dilution, and it may take several quarters for those worries to subside. The stock price drop this year has been compounded by the broader issues of investors moving out of risk assets, artificial intelligence (AI) scare trades around the wealth management industry, and broad geopolitical and economic uncertainty. To add to those concerns, the investment research firm Muddy Waters Research issued a report on March 17 that made several allegations about SoFi, including an assertion that it had made "a material misstatement of at least $312 million of unrecorded debt." The fintech operator responded that the report was "factually inaccurate and misleading," and said that it intends to explore a legal response.Also seemingly in response to the report, SoFi CEO Anthony Noto purchased over 28,000 shares worth approximately $500,000 the same day it was published. Adding everything together, there's a lot of uncertainty swirling around the company, so SoFi's business performance will really have to do the heavy lifting to calm investors' worries. Its 2026 earnings outlook suggests that's possible. ExpandNASDAQ: SOFISoFi TechnologiesToday's Change(1.17%) $0.20Current Price$17.28Key Data PointsMarket Cap$22BDay's Range$16.73 - $17.2952wk Range$8.60 - $32.73Volume740KAvg Vol61MGross Margin61.06% It's increasingly providing more options for its customers to control their financial lives. Through Sofi's app and website, they can do everything from opening a checking account to applying for a mortgage to buying stocks and cryptocurrencies. This growing suite of services is becoming a cash cow for SoFi. Management expects adjusted net income to increase 125% year over year in Q1 to $160 million. For 2026, net income is projected to grow by 72% to $825 million. Before the Muddy Waters Research report, Noto also purchased 56,000 shares on March 2, a transaction valued at roughly $1 million. There are a lot of reasons why an insider might choose to sell stock, but they typically only buy shares if they think the price will go up. SoFi currently trades at a price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 1.3, which is a premium valuation, but one that aggressive investors may feel comfortable with. Here's some historical data for context: PEG ratio Dec. 31, 2025: 2 PEG ratio Sept. 30, 2025: 2.5 PEG ratio June 30, 2025: 3.4 PEG ratio March 31, 2025: 2 What's worth highlighting here is that the PEG ratio is more modest than it was in previous quarters. That could make it easier for SoFi to meet and exceed expectations from here. Stock No. 2: Sirius XM Holdings Shares of Sirius XM Holdings (SIRI 0.34%) are down significantly over the last five years due to concerns about increased competition in the audio entertainment space, declining subscriber numbers, and rising content costs. Those are all fair issues to worry about, but Sirius is addressing them, and its stock price climb in early 2026 may be the start of a larger rebound ahead. Paying up for unique content can help Sirius stand out in a crowded space, and drive subscriber growth. It said that in Q4 2025, "programming continued to be a key driver of subscriber engagement." Building up momentum in 2025 that can continue in 2026, it renewed its contract with Howard Stern for three additional years, added new soccer and basketball programming, and launched a full-time channel for political commentator Megyn Kelly. In addition to more programming options, if new auto sales can keep climbing, that may offer a tailwind for Sirius, as Sirius XM-enabled vehicles have been core to its business. ExpandNASDAQ: SIRISirius XMToday's Change(-0.34%) $-0.07Current Price$22.32Key Data PointsMarket Cap$7.5BDay's Range$22.10 - $22.3652wk Range$18.69 - $24.92Volume33KAvg Vol4.8MGross Margin40.65%Dividend Yield4.82% The financial health of the company is also improving. Free cash flow (FCF) is expected to rise thanks to overall declines in capital expenditures, particularly in satellite construction and launch operations. In 2025, Sirius spent approximately $204 million on satellite expenses, but it expects that cost to drop to "near zero" by 2028. Sirius expects FCF to jump from $1.3 billion in 2026 to $1.5 billion in 2027. Conservative investors will also appreciate the company's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. While not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of operations and content, streaming service Spotify is trading at a forward P/E ratio of 35.7. Sirius trades at a forward P/E of just 7.5, suggesting how undervalued it may be. Both SoFi and Sirius XM could be bargains relative to where they could be trading at in the future if they can execute on their plans in 2026 and beyond.

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Source: The Motley Fool

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