2 High-Flying Stocks to Own for Decades and 1 We Avoid

"You get what you pay for" often applies to expensive stocks with best-in-class business models and execution. While their quality can sometimes justify the premium, they typically experience elevated volatility during market downturns when expectations change.

Finding the right balance between price and quality can challenge even the most skilled investors. Luckily for you, we started StockStory to help you identify the real opportunities. Keeping that in mind, here are two high-flying stocks with strong fundamentals and one climbing an uphill battle.

One High-Flying Stock to Sell:

Vulcan Materials (VMC)

Forward P/E Ratio: 32.9x

Founded in 1909, Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) is a producer of construction aggregates, primarily crushed stone, sand, and gravel.

Why Does VMC Give Us Pause?

1. Sales stagnated over the last two years and signal the need for new growth strategies
2. Number of tons shipped has disappointed over the past two years, indicating weak demand for its offerings
3. Gross margin of 25% is below its competitors, leaving less money to invest in areas like marketing and R&D

Vulcan Materials is trading at $292.40 per share, or 32.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than VMC.

Two High-Flying Stocks to Buy:

WEBTOON (WBTN)

Forward P/E Ratio: 49.1x

Pioneering a vertical-scrolling format optimized for mobile devices, WEBTOON Entertainment (NASDAQ:WBTN) operates a global platform where creators publish serialized web-comics and web-novels that users can read in bite-sized episodes.

Why Will WBTN Beat the Market?

1. Solid 7.5% annual revenue growth over the last two years indicates its offering’s solve complex business issues
2. Market share is on track to rise over the next 12 months as its 13.6% projected revenue growth implies demand will accelerate from its two-year trend
3. Performance over the past two years shows its incremental sales were extremely profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 79.7% outpaced its revenue gains

At $15.15 per share, WEBTOON trades at 49.1x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

S&P Global (SPGI)

Forward P/E Ratio: 32x

Tracing its roots back to 1860 when it published the first railroad industry manual, S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) provides credit ratings, market intelligence, commodity data, automotive analytics, and financial indices that help investors and businesses make decisions.

Why Are We Backing SPGI?

1. Offerings and unique value proposition resonate with customers, as seen in its above-market 13% annual sales growth over the last five years
2. Performance over the past two years was boosted by share buybacks, which enabled its earnings per share to grow faster than its revenue
3. Stellar return on equity showcases management’s ability to surface highly profitable business ventures

S&P Global’s stock price of $556 implies a valuation ratio of 32x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Donald Trump’s April 2025 "Liberation Day" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities.

The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don’t miss out on the recovery - check out our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today

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