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.
The downside that can come from buying these securities is precisely why we started StockStory - to isolate the long-term winners from the losers so you can invest with confidence. Keeping that in mind, here is one small-cap stock that could amplify your portfolio’s returns and two that may have trouble.
Two Small-Cap Stocks to Sell:
Offerpad (OPAD)
Market Cap: $77.38 million
Known for giving homeowners cash offers within 24 hours, Offerpad (NYSE: OPAD) operates a tech-enabled platform specializing in direct home buying and selling solutions.
Why Is OPAD Risky?
- Performance surrounding its homes purchased has lagged its peers
- Cash burn makes us question whether it can achieve sustainable long-term growth
- Negative earnings profile makes it challenging to secure favorable financing terms from lenders
Offerpad’s stock price of $2.51 implies a valuation ratio of 0.1x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with OPAD, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).
GMS (GMS)
Market Cap: $4.20 billion
Founded in 1971, GMS (NYSE: GMS) distributes specialty building materials including wallboard, ceilings, and insulation products, to the construction industry.
Why Are We Hesitant About GMS?
- Organic sales performance over the past two years indicates the company may need to make strategic adjustments or rely on M&A to catalyze faster growth
- Earnings per share have contracted by 42.4% annually over the last two years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance
- Waning returns on capital imply its previous profit engines are losing steam
At $109.97 per share, GMS trades at 0.8x trailing 12-month price-to-sales. If you’re considering GMS for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.
One Small-Cap Stock to Watch:
Banner Bank (BANR)
Market Cap: $2.19 billion
Founded in 1890 in Walla Walla, Washington, and evolving through more than a century of economic cycles, Banner Corporation (NASDAQ: BANR) operates Banner Bank, providing commercial banking services, loans, and financial products to individuals and businesses across Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, and Utah.
Why Are We Fans of BANR?
- Healthy unit economics are reflected in its 3.8% net interest margin and give it more money to invest in new customer acquisition
- Share buybacks catapulted its annual earnings per share growth to 10.2%, which outperformed its revenue gains over the last five years
- Annual tangible book value per share growth of 16.1% over the past two years was outstanding, reflecting strong capital accumulation this cycle
Banner Bank is trading at $63.65 per share, or 1.1x forward P/B. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free for active Edge members.
Stocks We Like Even More
Trump’s April 2025 tariff bombshell triggered a massive market selloff, but stocks have since staged an impressive recovery, leaving those who panic sold on the sidelines.
Take advantage of the rebound by checking 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-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% 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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