3 of Wall Street's Favorite Stocks in the Doghouse

The stocks in this article have caught Wall Street’s attention in a big way, with price targets implying returns above 20%. But investors should take these forecasts with a grain of salt because analysts typically say nice things about companies so their firms can win business in other product lines like M&A advisory.

Luckily for you, we at StockStory have no conflicts of interest - our sole job is to help you find genuinely promising companies. Keeping that in mind, here are three stocks where Wall Street may be overlooking some important risks and some alternatives with better fundamentals.

Kulicke and Soffa (KLIC)

Consensus Price Target: $51.60 (60% implied return)

Headquartered in Singapore, Kulicke & Soffa (NASDAQ: KLIC) is a provider of production equipment and tools used to assemble semiconductor devices

Why Is KLIC Risky?

1. Sales tumbled by 24.2% annually over the last two years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
2. Incremental sales over the last five years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 28.3% annually while its revenue grew
3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 10.2 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

At $30.62 per share, Kulicke and Soffa trades at 15.8x forward price-to-earnings. If you’re considering KLIC for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Red Rock Resorts (RRR)

Consensus Price Target: $55.36 (21.3% implied return)

Founded in 1976, Red Rock Resorts (NASDAQ:RRR) operates a range of casino resorts and entertainment properties, primarily in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Why Should You Dump RRR?

1. Sales were flat over the last five years, indicating it's failed to expand its business
2. Projected sales are flat for the next 12 months, implying demand will slow from its two-year trend
3. Capital intensity will likely ramp up in the next year as its free cash flow margin is expected to contract by 9.5 percentage points

Red Rock Resorts’s stock price of $42.65 implies a valuation ratio of 20.7x forward price-to-earnings. To fully understand why you should be careful with RRR, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Acadia Healthcare (ACHC)

Consensus Price Target: $61.38 (116% implied return)

With a network of over 250 facilities serving patients in 38 states and Puerto Rico, Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC) operates facilities providing mental health and substance use disorder treatment services across the United States.

Why Are We Wary of ACHC?

1. Products and services are facing end-market challenges during this cycle, as seen in its flat sales over the last five years
2. Disappointing admissions over the past two years indicate demand is soft and that the company may need to revise its strategy
3. Free cash flow margin shrank by 38.5 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive

Acadia Healthcare is trading at $21.50 per share, or 6.3x forward price-to-earnings. If you’re considering ACHC for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Stocks We Like More

Market indices reached historic highs following Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November 2024, but the outlook for 2025 is clouded by new trade policies that could impact business confidence and growth.

While this has caused many investors to adopt a "fearful" wait-and-see approach, we’re leaning into our best ideas that can grow regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Take advantage of Mr. Market by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. 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 Comfort Systems (+751% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.