Mid-cap stocks have the best odds of scaling into $100 billion corporations thanks to their tested business models and large addressable markets. But the many opportunities in front of them attract significant competition, spanning from industry behemoths with seemingly infinite resources to small, nimble players with chips on their shoulders.
These dynamics can rattle even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you separate the good companies from the bad. That said, here is one mid-cap stock with huge upside potential and two that could be down big.
Two Mid-Cap Stocks to Sell:
McCormick (MKC)
Market Cap: $19.39 billion
The classic red Heinz ketchup bottle’s competitor, McCormick (NYSE: MKC) sells food-flavoring products like condiments, spices, and seasoning mixes.
Why Is MKC Not Exciting?
- Core business is underperforming as its organic revenue has disappointed over the past two years, suggesting it might need acquisitions to stimulate growth
- Earnings growth underperformed the sector average over the last three years as its EPS grew by just 2% annually
- Capital intensity has ramped up over the last year as its free cash flow margin decreased by 4.8 percentage points
McCormick is trading at $72.26 per share, or 22.9x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with MKC, check out our full research report (it’s free).
Woodward (WWD)
Market Cap: $14.87 billion
Initially designing controls for water wheels in the early 1900s, Woodward (NASDAQ: WWD) designs, services, and manufactures energy control products and optimization solutions.
Why Does WWD Give Us Pause?
- 4.9% annual revenue growth over the last five years was slower than its industrials peers
- Earnings growth over the last five years fell short of the peer group average as its EPS only increased by 7.1% annually
- Free cash flow margin shrank by 11.2 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive
At $248.48 per share, Woodward trades at 34.2x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than WWD.
One Mid-Cap Stock to Watch:
Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH)
Market Cap: $13.55 billion
With roots dating back to 1914 and deep ties to nearly all U.S. cabinet-level departments, Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) provides management consulting, technology services, and cybersecurity solutions primarily to U.S. government agencies and military branches.
Why Does BAH Stand Out?
- Existing business lines can expand without risky acquisitions as its organic revenue growth averaged 10.7% over the past two years
- Economies of scale give it some operating leverage when demand rises
- Performance over the past five years was turbocharged by share buybacks, which enabled its earnings per share to grow faster than its revenue
Booz Allen Hamilton’s stock price of $109.79 implies a valuation ratio of 16.7x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.
Stocks We Like Even More
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 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-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% 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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