Small-cap stocks can be incredibly lucrative investments because their lack of analyst coverage leads to frequent mispricings. However, these businesses (and their stock prices) often stay small because their subscale operations make it harder to expand their competitive moats.
Luckily for you, our mission at StockStory is to help you make money and avoid losses by sorting the winners from the losers. That said, here are three small-cap stocks to avoid and some other investments you should consider instead.
Atkore (ATKR)
Market Cap: $2.24 billion
Protecting the things that power our world, Atkore (NYSE: ATKR) designs and manufactures electrical safety products.
Why Is ATKR Risky?
- Core business is underperforming as its organic revenue has disappointed over the past two years, suggesting it might need acquisitions to stimulate growth
- Sales were less profitable over the last two years as its earnings per share fell by 31.5% annually, worse than its revenue declines
- Waning returns on capital imply its previous profit engines are losing steam
Atkore is trading at $66.48 per share, or 10.3x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why ATKR doesn’t pass our bar.
Purple (PRPL)
Market Cap: $76.9 million
Founded by two brothers, Purple (NASDAQ: PRPL) creates sleep and home comfort products such as mattresses, pillows, and bedding accessories.
Why Should You Sell PRPL?
- Annual sales declines of 6.3% for the past two years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market
- Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results
- Short cash runway increases the probability of a capital raise that dilutes existing shareholders
Purple’s stock price of $0.75 implies a valuation ratio of 24.1x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including PRPL in your portfolio.
Prosperity Bancshares (PB)
Market Cap: $6.44 billion
With a network of banking centers spanning the Lone Star State and beyond, Prosperity Bancshares (NYSE: PB) operates full-service banking locations throughout Texas and Oklahoma, offering a wide range of financial products and services to businesses and consumers.
Why Does PB Worry Us?
- Net interest income was flat over the last four years, indicating it’s failed to expand this cycle
- Weak unit economics are reflected in its net interest margin of 2.9%, one of the worst among bank companies
- High debt servicing costs relative to its earnings leave little margin for error in meeting its financial obligations
At $67.63 per share, Prosperity Bancshares trades at 0.8x forward P/B. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than PB.
Stocks We Like 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 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today
