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 are three small-cap stocks to swipe left on and some alternatives you should look into instead.
Appian (APPN)
Market Cap: $2.34 billion
Founded by Matt Calkins and his three friends out of an apartment in Northern Virginia, Appian (NASDAQ: APPN) sells a software platform that lets its users build applications without using much code, allowing them to create new software more quickly.
Why Are We Cautious About APPN?
- Revenue increased by 17.1% annually over the last three years, acceptable on an absolute basis but tepid for a software company enjoying secular tailwinds
- Customer acquisition costs take a while to recoup, making it difficult to justify sales and marketing investments that could increase revenue
- Poor free cash flow margin of 4.8% for the last year limits its freedom to invest in growth initiatives, execute share buybacks, or pay dividends
Appian is trading at $31.25 per share, or 3.3x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with APPN, check out our full research report (it’s free).
BeautyHealth (SKIN)
Market Cap: $213 million
Operating in the emerging beauty health category, the appropriately named BeautyHealth (NASDAQ: SKIN) is a skincare company best known for its Hydrafacial product that cleanses and hydrates skin.
Why Do We Steer Clear of SKIN?
- Lackluster 3.8% annual revenue growth over the last three years indicates the company is losing ground to competitors
- Persistent operating losses suggest the business manages its expenses poorly
- High net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 10× could force the company to raise capital at unfavorable terms if market conditions deteriorate
At $1.61 per share, BeautyHealth trades at 13.1x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including SKIN in your portfolio.
Heartland Express (HTLD)
Market Cap: $710.9 million
Founded by the son of a trucker, Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD) offers full-truckload deliveries across the United States and Mexico.
Why Should You Dump HTLD?
- Products and services are facing significant end-market challenges during this cycle as sales have declined by 6.8% annually over the last two years
- Free cash flow margin dropped by 10.8 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up
- Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results
Heartland Express’s stock price of $9.05 implies a valuation ratio of 4.5x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why HTLD doesn’t pass our bar.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
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 5 Strong Momentum 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.
