The $10-50 price range often includes mid-sized businesses with proven track records and plenty of growth runway ahead. They also usually carry less risk than penny stocks, though they’re not immune to volatility as many lack the scale advantages of their larger peers.

Luckily for you, our mission at StockStory is to help you make money and avoid losses by sorting the winners from the losers. That said, here are three stocks under $50 to avoid and some other investments you should consider instead.

Astec (ASTE)

Share Price: $44.89

Inventing the first ever double-barrel hot-mix asphalt plant, Astec (NASDAQ: ASTE) provides machines and equipment for building roads, processing raw materials, and producing concrete.

Why Does ASTE Fall Short?

1. Sales pipeline suggests its future revenue growth won’t meet our standards as its backlog averaged 28.2% declines over the past two years
2. Gross margin of 23.8% is below its competitors, leaving less money to invest in areas like marketing and R&D
3. Lacking free cash flow generation means it has few chances to reinvest for growth, repurchase shares, or distribute capital

Astec is trading at $44.89 per share, or 17.5x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including ASTE in your portfolio.

HP (HPQ)

Share Price: $26.90

Born from the legendary Silicon Valley garage startup founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939, HP (NYSE: HPQ) designs and sells personal computers, printers, and related technology products and services to consumers, businesses, and enterprises worldwide.

Why Do We Avoid HPQ?

1. Annual sales declines of 1% for the past five years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market during this cycle
2. Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last two years, showing each sale was less profitable
3. Free cash flow margin shrank by 4.1 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive

At $26.90 per share, HP trades at 7.4x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why HPQ doesn’t pass our bar.

Ladder Capital (LADR)

Share Price: $11.16

Founded during the 2008 financial crisis when traditional lenders retreated from commercial real estate, Ladder Capital (NYSE: LADR) is a real estate investment trust that originates commercial real estate loans, owns commercial properties, and invests in real estate securities.

Why Do We Pass on LADR?

1. Annual sales declines of 13.2% for the past two years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market during this cycle
2. Earnings per share fell by 2.9% annually over the last five years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable
3. Tangible book value per share was flat over the last five years, indicating it’s failed to build equity value this cycle

Ladder Capital’s stock price of $11.16 implies a valuation ratio of 1x forward P/B. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than LADR.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

When Trump unveiled his aggressive tariff plan in April 2025, markets tanked as investors feared a full-blown trade war. But those who panicked and sold missed the subsequent rebound that’s already erased most losses.

Don’t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at 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).

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