When Wall Street turns bearish on a stock, it’s worth paying attention. These calls stand out because analysts rarely issue grim ratings on companies for fear their firms will lose out in other business lines such as M&A advisory.
At StockStory, we look beyond the headlines with our independent analysis to determine whether these bearish calls are justified. That said, here are three stocks facing legitimate challenges and some alternatives worth exploring instead.
ZoomInfo (ZI)
Consensus Price Target: $11.17 (8.6% implied return)
Founded in 2007 as DiscoveryOrg and renamed after a merger in 2019, ZoomInfo (NASDAQ: ZI) is a software as a service product that provides sales departments with access to a database of prospective clients.
Why Are We Out on ZI?
- Flat billings over the last year suggest it may need to improve its products, pricing, or go-to-market strategy to reinvigorate demand
- Complex implementation process for enterprise clients means customers take longer to ramp up, as seen in its extended payback periods
- Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last year as its operating margin fell by 10.3 percentage points
ZoomInfo’s stock price of $10.28 implies a valuation ratio of 2.9x forward price-to-sales. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why ZI doesn’t pass our bar.
GMS (GMS)
Consensus Price Target: $83.33 (13.9% implied return)
Founded in 1971, GMS (NYSE: GMS) distributes specialty building materials including wallboard, ceilings, and insulation products, to the construction industry.
Why Is GMS Not Exciting?
- Organic revenue growth fell short of our benchmarks over the past two years and implies it may need to improve its products, pricing, or go-to-market strategy
- Estimated sales decline of 3.7% for the next 12 months implies a challenging demand environment
- Earnings per share have contracted by 13.3% annually over the last two years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance
GMS is trading at $73.17 per share, or 9.4x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than GMS.
Rivian (RIVN)
Consensus Price Target: $14.65 (-10.1% implied return)
The manufacturer of Amazon’s delivery trucks, Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) designs, manufactures, and sells electric vehicles and commercial delivery vans.
Why Do We Think Twice About RIVN?
- Negative 52.8% gross margin means it loses money on every sale and must pivot or scale quickly to survive
- Cash-burning history makes us doubt the long-term viability of its business model
- Short cash runway increases the probability of a capital raise that dilutes existing shareholders
At $16.29 per share, Rivian trades at 3.4x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with RIVN, check out our full research report (it’s free).
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 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years.
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-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.
