3 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stocks We Keep Off Our Radar
Wall Street is overwhelmingly bullish on the stocks in this article, with price targets suggesting significant upside potential. However, it’s worth remembering that analysts rarely issue sell ratings, partly because their firms often seek other business from the same companies they cover.
Unlike the investment banks, we created StockStory to provide independent analysis that helps you determine which companies are truly worth following. That said, here are three stocks where Wall Street may be overlooking some important risks and some alternatives with better fundamentals.
Cable One (CABO)
Consensus Price Target: $44.25 (277% implied return)
Founded in 1986, Cable One (NYSE:CABO) provides high-speed internet, cable television, and telephone services, primarily in smaller markets across the United States.
Why Are We Out on CABO?
- Demand for its offerings was relatively low as its number of residential data subscribers has underwhelmed
- Capital intensity will likely increase as its free cash flow margin is anticipated to drop by 2.6 percentage points over the next year
- Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results
Cable One is trading at $11.74 per share, or 3.9x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including CABO in your portfolio.
Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Consensus Price Target: $621.75 (28.8% implied return)
Responsible for the development of the first stealth bomber, Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) specializes in providing aerospace, defense, and security solutions for various industry applications.
Why Should You Sell NOC?
- Core business is underperforming as its organic revenue has disappointed over the past two years, suggesting it might need acquisitions to stimulate growth
- Estimated sales growth of 5.9% for the next 12 months is soft and implies weaker demand
- Earnings growth underperformed the sector average over the last five years as its EPS grew by just 2.4% annually
Northrop Grumman’s stock price of $482.70 implies a valuation ratio of 16.6x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than NOC.
First American Financial (FAF)
Consensus Price Target: $85.83 (38% implied return)
Tracing its roots back to 1889 when California was experiencing its first major real estate boom, First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) provides title insurance, settlement services, and risk solutions for residential and commercial real estate transactions across the United States and internationally.
Why Are We Wary of FAF?
- Insurance policy sales contracted this cycle as net premiums earned decreased by 1.9% annually over the last five years
- Earnings per share were flat over the last five years and fell short of the peer group average
- 2.8% annual book value per share growth over the last five years was slower than its insurance peers
At $62.18 per share, First American Financial trades at 1x forward P/B. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why FAF doesn’t pass our bar.
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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-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+1,154% between June 2020 and June 2025). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.