The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is home to the biggest and most well-known companies in the market, making it a go-to index for investors seeking stability. But not all large-cap stocks are created equal - some are struggling with slowing growth, declining margins, or increased competition.

Picking the right S&P 500 stocks requires more than just buying big names, and that’s where StockStory comes in. Keeping that in mind, here is one S&P 500 stock that is positioned to outperform and two best left off your watchlist.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Salesforce (CRM)

Market Cap: $228.9 billion

With its cloud-based platform named after its stock ticker symbol CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) provides customer relationship management software that helps businesses connect with their customers across sales, service, marketing, and commerce.

Why Are We Cautious About CRM?

1. ARR growth averaged a weak 9% over the last year, suggesting that competition is pulling some attention away from its software
2. Estimated sales growth of 8.9% for the next 12 months is soft and implies weaker demand
3. Operating margin improvement of 2.1 percentage points over the last year demonstrates its ability to scale efficiently

At $240.47 per share, Salesforce trades at 5.5x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with CRM, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).

Fortive (FTV)

Market Cap: $16.5 billion

Taking its name from the Latin root of "strong", Fortive (NYSE: FTV) manufactures products and develops industrial software for numerous industries.

Why Do We Think FTV Will Underperform?

1. 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
2. Earnings per share were flat over the last five years and fell short of the peer group average
3. Low returns on capital reflect management’s struggle to allocate funds effectively, and its falling returns suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up

Fortive’s stock price of $51.97 implies a valuation ratio of 18.2x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why FTV doesn’t pass our bar.

One Stock to Buy:

Alphabet (GOOGL)

Market Cap: $3.36 trillion

Started by Stanford students Larry Page and Sergey Brin in a Menlo Park garage, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is the parent company of the eponymous Google Search engine, Google Cloud Platform, and YouTube.

Why Is GOOGL a Top Pick?

1. Alphabet’s dominant Google Search sits on the pantheon of the best businesses ever. This is reflected in its robust long-term revenue growth and elite operating margin.
2. The company’s profit margins have become even higher over time, speaking to its scale advantages and operating efficiency not only in its core Search business but also in Google Cloud Platform and YouTube.
3. Revenue growth and increasing operating margins are the key ingredients for strong EPS growth. Google has these, and when also factoring in its share repurchases, you can see why EPS has exploded over the long term.

Alphabet is trading at $279.44 per share, or 27x forward price-to-earnings. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free for active Edge members.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

The market’s up big this year - but there’s a catch. Just 4 stocks account for half the S&P 500’s entire gain. That kind of concentration makes investors nervous, and for good reason. While everyone piles into the same crowded names, smart investors are hunting quality where no one’s looking - and paying a fraction of the price. Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged in 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 244% over the last five years (as of June 30, 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,326% between June 2020 and June 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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