3 Hyped Up Stocks We Think Twice About
The stocks in this article are all trading near their 52-week highs. This strength often reflects positive developments such as new product launches, favorable industry trends, or improved financial performance.
But not every company with momentum is a long-term winner, and plenty of investors have lost money betting on short-term fads. On that note, here are three stocks getting more buzz than they deserve and some you should buy instead.
Laureate Education (LAUR)
One-Month Return: +3.5%
Founded in 1998 by Douglas L. Becker and based in Miami, Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) is a global network of higher education institutions.
Why Is LAUR Risky?
- Sluggish trends in its enrolled students suggest customers aren’t adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped
- Capital intensity will likely increase as its free cash flow margin is anticipated to drop by 1.8 percentage points over the next year
- Underwhelming 18.6% return on capital reflects management’s difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities
Laureate Education is trading at $39.04 per share, or 17.3x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why LAUR doesn’t pass our bar.
Sabre (SABR)
One-Month Return: +13%
Originally a division of American Airlines, Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR) is a technology provider for the global travel and tourism industry.
Why Should You Sell SABR?
- Demand for its offerings was relatively low as its number of total bookings has underwhelmed
- Cash-burning tendencies make us wonder if it can sustainably generate shareholder value
- 7× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio shows it’s overleveraged and increases the probability of shareholder dilution if things turn unexpectedly
At $2.13 per share, Sabre trades at 6.9x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including SABR in your portfolio.
Payoneer (PAYO)
One-Month Return: -0.4%
Founded during the early days of global e-commerce in 2005 to solve international payment challenges, Payoneer (NASDAQ:PAYO) provides financial technology services that enable small and medium-sized businesses to send and receive payments globally across borders.
Why Are We Hesitant About PAYO?
- Incremental sales over the last two years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 5.2% annually while its revenue grew
- Below-average return on equity indicates management struggled to find compelling investment opportunities
Payoneer’s stock price of $7.12 implies a valuation ratio of 18.9x forward P/E. If you’re considering PAYO for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.
Stocks We Like More
ONE MORE THING: Top 5 Growth Stocks. The biggest stock winners almost always had one thing in common before they ran. Revenue growing like crazy. Meta. CrowdStrike. Broadcom. Our AI flagged all three. They returned 315%, 314%, and 455%, respectively.
Find out which 5 stocks it’s flagging this month — FREE. Get Our Top 5 Growth Stocks for Free HERE.
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,460% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+214% between June 2020 and June 2025). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.