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3 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stocks in the Doghouse

HZO Cover Image

The stocks in this article have caught Wall Street’s attention in a big way, with price targets implying returns above 20%. But investors should take these forecasts with a grain of salt because analysts typically say nice things about companies so their firms can win business in other product lines like M&A advisory.

At StockStory, we look beyond the headlines with our independent analysis to determine whether these bullish calls are justified. That said, here are three stocks where Wall Street may be overlooking some important risks and some alternatives with better fundamentals.

MarineMax (HZO)

Consensus Price Target: $31.83 (45.6% implied return)

Appropriately headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, MarineMax (NYSE: HZO) sells boats, yachts, and other marine products.

Why Are We Wary of HZO?

  1. Store closures and disappointing same-store sales suggest demand is sluggish and it’s rightsizing its operations
  2. Disappointing same-store sales over the past two years show customers aren’t responding well to its product selection and store experience
  3. Short cash runway increases the probability of a capital raise that dilutes existing shareholders

MarineMax’s stock price of $21.87 implies a valuation ratio of 8.3x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with HZO, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Standex (SXI)

Consensus Price Target: $197 (30.6% implied return)

Holding over 500 patents globally, Standex (NYSE: SXI) is a manufacturer and distributor of industrial components for various sectors.

Why Is SXI Not Exciting?

  1. Flat sales over the last two years suggest it must find different ways to grow during this cycle
  2. Earnings growth underperformed the sector average over the last two years as its EPS grew by just 5.9% annually
  3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 3.2 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

At $150.80 per share, Standex trades at 17.1x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including SXI in your portfolio.

Amneal (AMRX)

Consensus Price Target: $11.67 (58.7% implied return)

Founded in 2002 and growing into one of America's largest generic drug producers, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMRX) develops, manufactures, and distributes generic medicines, specialty branded drugs, biosimilars, and injectable products for the U.S. healthcare market.

Why Are We Hesitant About AMRX?

  1. 12.1 percentage point decline in its free cash flow margin over the last five years reflects the company’s increased investments to defend its market position
  2. Low returns on capital reflect management’s struggle to allocate funds effectively

Amneal is trading at $7.35 per share, or 10.3x forward P/E. If you’re considering AMRX for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

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 5 Growth Stocks for this month. 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.

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