1 of Wall Street's Favorite Stock for Long-Term Investors and 2 to Turn Down

Wall Street is overwhelmingly bullish on the stocks in this article, with price targets suggesting significant upside potential. However, it’s worth remembering that analysts rarely issue sell ratings, partly because their firms often seek other business from the same companies they cover.

Unlike the investment banks, we created StockStory to provide independent analysis that helps you determine which companies are truly worth following. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock likely to meet or exceed Wall Street’s lofty expectations and two where consensus estimates seem disconnected from reality.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Funko (FNKO)

Consensus Price Target: $11.50 (130% implied return)

Boasting partnerships with media franchises like Marvel and One Piece, Funko (NASDAQ:FNKO) is a company specializing in creating and distributing licensed pop culture collectibles.

Why Do We Pass on FNKO?

1. Annual revenue declines of 10.9% over the last two years indicate problems with its market positioning
2. Earnings per share fell by 31.3% annually over the last five years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable
3. Waning returns on capital from an already weak starting point displays the inefficacy of management’s past and current investment decisions

Funko’s stock price of $4.34 implies a valuation ratio of 10.8x forward price-to-earnings. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including FNKO in your portfolio.

Fluence Energy (FLNC)

Consensus Price Target: $24.92 (172% implied return)

Pioneering the use of lithium-ion batteries for grid storage, Fluence (NASDAQ:FLNC) helps store renewable energy sources with battery systems.

Why Does FLNC Worry Us?

1. High input costs result in an inferior gross margin of 6.2% that must be offset through higher volumes
2. Free cash flow margin shrank by 5.2 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company stepped up its investments to maintain its competitive edge
3. Unfavorable liquidity position could lead to additional equity financing that dilutes shareholders

Fluence Energy is trading at $3.69 per share, or 4.1x forward price-to-earnings. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than FLNC.

One Stock to Buy:

Natera (NTRA)

Consensus Price Target: $180.68 (21.3% implied return)

Founded in 2003 as Gene Security Network before rebranding in 2012, Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) develops and commercializes genetic tests for prenatal screening, cancer detection, and organ transplant monitoring using its proprietary cell-free DNA technology.

Why Are We Bullish on NTRA?

1. Average unit sales growth of 24.2% over the past two years reflects steady demand for its products
2. Earnings per share grew by 20.5% annually over the last five years and trumped its peers
3. Free cash flow flipped to positive over the last five years, showing the company has crossed a key inflection point

At $154.70 per share, Natera trades at 10.1x forward price-to-sales. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs.

While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years.

Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like United Rentals (+322% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.