2 Cash-Burning Stocks with Competitive Advantages and 1 We Avoid

Companies that burn cash at a rapid pace can run into serious trouble if they fail to secure funding. Without a clear path to profitability, these businesses risk dilution, mounting debt, or even bankruptcy.

Just because a company is spending heavily doesn’t mean it’s on the right track, and StockStory is here to separate the winners from the losers. That said, here are two high-risk, high-reward companies with the potential to scale into market leaders and one that may struggle to stay afloat.

One Industrials Stock to Sell:

GATX (GATX)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: -31.2%

Originally founded to ship beer, GATX (NYSE:GATX) provides leasing and management services for railcars and other transportation assets globally.

Why Is GATX Not Exciting?

1. Sluggish trends in its active railcars suggest customers aren’t adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped
2. Cash burn makes us question whether it can achieve sustainable long-term growth
3. Unfavorable liquidity position could lead to additional equity financing that dilutes shareholders

GATX’s stock price of $190.32 implies a valuation ratio of 19.5x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with GATX, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Two Industrials Stocks to Watch:

Graham Corporation (GHM)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: -2.6%

Founded when its founder patented a unique design for a vacuum system used in the sugar refining process, Graham (NYSE:GHM) provides vacuum and heat transfer equipment for the energy, petrochemical, refining, and chemical sectors.

Why Will GHM Outperform?

1. Sales pipeline is in good shape as its backlog averaged 27.8% growth over the past two years
2. Earnings per share grew by 83.3% annually over the last one years and trumped its peers
3. Free cash flow margin grew by 15.4 percentage points over the last five years, giving the company more chips to play with

Graham Corporation is trading at $84.13 per share, or 44.1x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

AAR (AIR)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: -1.1%

The first third-party MRO approved by the FAA for Safety Management System Requirements, AAR (NYSE:AIR) is a provider of aircraft maintenance services

Why Could AIR Be a Winner?

1. Annual revenue growth of 17% over the past two years was outstanding, reflecting market share gains this cycle
2. Market share will likely rise over the next 12 months as its expected revenue growth of 15.6% is robust
3. Earnings growth has trumped its peers over the last two years as its EPS has compounded at 17.9% annually

At $113.25 per share, AAR trades at 22.4x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Your portfolio can’t afford to be based on yesterday’s story. The risk in a handful of heavily crowded stocks is rising daily.

The names generating the next wave of massive growth are right here in 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 244% over the last five years (as of June 30, 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,326% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.