1 Hated Stock that Deserves Some Love and 2 to Ignore

Wall Street has issued downbeat forecasts for the stocks in this article. These predictions are rare - financial institutions typically hesitate to say bad things about a company because it can jeopardize their other revenue-generating business lines like M&A advisory.

Accurately determining a company’s long-term prospects isn’t easy, especially when sentiment is weak. That’s where StockStory comes in - to help you find attractive investment candidates backed by unbiased research. That said, here is one stock poised to prove Wall Street wrong and two facing legitimate challenges.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Boston Beer (SAM)

Consensus Price Target: $263.87 (6.2% implied return)

Known for its flavorful beverages challenging the status quo, Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) is a pioneer in craft brewing and a symbol of American innovation in the alcoholic beverage industry.

Why Is SAM Not Exciting?

1. Lackluster 1.7% annual revenue growth over the last three years indicates the company is losing ground to competitors
2. Smaller revenue base of $2.04 billion means it hasn’t achieved the economies of scale that some industry juggernauts enjoy
3. Demand will likely fall over the next 12 months as Wall Street expects flat revenue

Boston Beer’s stock price of $247.89 implies a valuation ratio of 24.5x forward price-to-earnings. To fully understand why you should be careful with SAM, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Markforged (MKFG)

Consensus Price Target: $5 (8.7% implied return)

Beginning as a start-up at SolidWorks World–an annual design and engineering conference, Markforged (NYSE:MKFG) offers 3D printers and softwares to manufacturers of various industries.

Why Does MKFG Give Us Pause?

1. Sales tumbled by 8.2% annually over the last two years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
2. Free cash flow margin dropped by 63.8 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up
3. Limited cash reserves may force the company to seek unfavorable financing terms that could dilute shareholders

At $4.60 per share, Markforged trades at 1x forward price-to-sales. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including MKFG in your portfolio.

One Stock to Buy:

O'Reilly (ORLY)

Consensus Price Target: $1,429 (8.6% implied return)

Serving both the DIY customer and professional mechanic, O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) is an auto parts and accessories retailer that sells everything from fuel pumps to car air fresheners to mufflers.

Why Should You Buy ORLY?

1. Brick-and-mortar locations are witnessing elevated demand as their same-store sales growth averaged 4.5% over the past two years
2. Unique assortment of products and pricing power are reflected in its best-in-class gross margin of 51.3%
3. Strong free cash flow margin of 12% enables it to reinvest or return capital consistently

O'Reilly is trading at $1,345 per share, or 29.6x forward price-to-earnings. Is now the right time to buy? Find out 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 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 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.