A highly volatile stock can deliver big gains - or just as easily wipe out a portfolio if things go south. While some investors embrace risk, mistakes can be costly for those who aren’t prepared.
These stocks can be a rollercoaster, and StockStory is here to guide you through the ups and downs. That said, here are three volatile stocks best left to the gamblers and some better opportunities instead.
ON24 (ONTF)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.06
Powering over 1,700 companies' virtual marketing efforts since 1998, ON24 (NYSE: ONTF) provides a cloud-based platform that enables businesses to create interactive digital experiences and capture actionable data from customer engagement.
Why Should You Dump ONTF?
- Billings have dropped by 3.3% over the last year, suggesting it might have to lower prices to stimulate growth
- Sales are expected to decline once again over the next 12 months as it continues working through a challenging demand environment
- Suboptimal cost structure is highlighted by its history of operating margin losses
ON24 is trading at $5.52 per share, or 1.7x forward price-to-sales. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including ONTF in your portfolio.
Oshkosh (OSK)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.31
Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK) manufactures specialty vehicles for the defense, fire, emergency, and commercial industry, operating various brand subsidiaries within each industry.
Why Are We Wary of OSK?
- Backlog growth averaged a weak 1.3% over the past two years, suggesting it may need to tweak its product roadmap or go-to-market strategy
- Gross margin of 16.4% reflects its high production costs
- Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 7.3 percentage points
At $136.49 per share, Oshkosh trades at 11.5x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than OSK.
Grid Dynamics (GDYN)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.47
With engineering centers across the Americas, Europe, and India serving Fortune 1000 companies, Grid Dynamics (NASDAQ: GDYN) provides technology consulting, engineering, and analytics services to help large enterprises modernize their technology systems and business processes.
Why Do We Think Twice About GDYN?
- Subscale operations are evident in its revenue base of $389.2 million, meaning it has fewer distribution channels than its larger rivals
- Earnings per share fell by 3.3% annually over the last two years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable
- Negative returns on capital show management lost money while trying to expand the business
Grid Dynamics’s stock price of $8.16 implies a valuation ratio of 20.6x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why GDYN doesn’t pass our bar.
Stocks We Like More
Donald Trump’s April 2025 "Liberation Day" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities.
The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don’t miss out on the recovery - check out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. 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-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% 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
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