3 Stocks Under $50 We're Skeptical Of

The $10-50 price range often includes mid-sized businesses with proven track records and plenty of growth runway ahead. They also usually carry less risk than penny stocks, though they’re not immune to volatility as many lack the scale advantages of their larger peers.

This is precisely where StockStory comes in - we do the heavy lifting to identify companies with solid fundamentals so you can invest with confidence. That said, here are three stocks under $50 to swipe left on and some alternatives you should look into instead.

Pegasystems (PEGA)

Share Price: $44.80

With a "Center-out Business Architecture" approach that transcends organizational silos, Pegasystems (NASDAQ:PEGA) develops software that helps organizations automate workflows and use artificial intelligence to improve customer experiences and business processes.

Why Does PEGA Fall Short?

1. Revenue increased by 11.4% annually over the last five years, acceptable on an absolute basis but tepid for a software company enjoying secular tailwinds
2. Competitive market means the company must spend more on sales and marketing to stand out even if the return on investment is low
3. Operating margin improvement of 6.8 percentage points over the last year demonstrates its ability to scale efficiently

Pegasystems is trading at $44.80 per share, or 4x forward price-to-sales. If you’re considering PEGA for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Sally Beauty (SBH)

Share Price: $16.44

Catering to both everyday consumers as well as salon professionals, Sally Beauty (NYSE:SBH) is a retailer that sells salon-quality beauty products such as makeup and haircare products.

Why Should You Sell SBH?

1. Dearth of new stores suggests management is prioritizing the optimization of its existing locations over growth
2. Disappointing same-store sales over the past two years show customers aren’t responding well to its product selection and store experience
3. Revenue base of $3.71 billion puts it at a disadvantage compared to larger competitors exhibiting economies of scale

Sally Beauty’s stock price of $16.44 implies a valuation ratio of 7.5x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than SBH.

10x Genomics (TXG)

Share Price: $21.65

Founded in 2012 by scientists seeking to overcome limitations in traditional biological research methods, 10x Genomics (NASDAQ:TXG) develops instruments, consumables, and software that enable researchers to analyze biological systems at single-cell resolution and spatial context.

Why Do We Avoid TXG?

1. Sales trends were unexciting over the last two years as its 1.9% annual growth was below the typical healthcare company
2. Smaller revenue base of $642.8 million means it hasn’t achieved the economies of scale that some industry juggernauts enjoy
3. Negative returns on capital show management lost money while trying to expand the business

At $21.65 per share, 10x Genomics trades at 4.1x forward price-to-sales. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including TXG in your portfolio.

Stocks We Like 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 Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.