When Wall Street turns bearish on a stock, it’s worth paying attention. These calls stand out because analysts rarely issue grim ratings on companies for fear their firms will lose out in other business lines such as M&A advisory.
At StockStory, we look beyond the headlines with our independent analysis to determine whether these bearish calls are justified. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock where you should be greedy instead of fearful and two facing legitimate challenges.
Two Stocks to Sell:
iHeartMedia (IHRT)
Consensus Price Target: $1.58 (-13% implied return)
Occasionally featuring celebrity hosts like Ryan Seacrest on its shows, iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is a leading multimedia company renowned for its extensive network of radio stations, digital platforms, and live events across the globe.
Why Are We Out on IHRT?
- Products and services fail to spark excitement with consumers, as seen in its flat sales over the last two years
- Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results
- Depletion of cash reserves could lead to a fundraising event that triggers shareholder dilution
At $1.81 per share, iHeartMedia trades at 0.4x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than IHRT.
Timken (TKR)
Consensus Price Target: $84.10 (14.4% implied return)
Established after the founder noticed the difficulty freight wagons had making sharp turns, Timken (NYSE: TKR) is a provider of industrial parts used across various sectors.
Why Do We Think TKR Will Underperform?
- Core business is underperforming as its organic revenue has disappointed over the past two years, suggesting it might need acquisitions to stimulate growth
- Estimated sales growth of 1.6% for the next 12 months is soft and implies weaker demand
- Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last two years, showing each sale was less profitable
Timken is trading at $73.50 per share, or 12.3x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with TKR, check out our full research report (it’s free).
One Stock to Buy:
The Trade Desk (TTD)
Consensus Price Target: $90.03 (4.9% implied return)
Founded by former Microsoft engineers Jeff Green and Dave Pickles, The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) offers cloud-based software that uses data to help advertisers better plan, place, and target their online ads.
Why Is TTD a Good Business?
- Billings have averaged 25.8% growth over the last year, showing it’s securing new contracts that could potentially increase in value over time
- Software platform has product-market fit given the rapid recovery of its customer acquisition costs
- Disciplined cost controls and effective management resulted in a strong trailing 12-month operating margin of 17.6%, and its operating leverage amplified its profits over the last year
The Trade Desk’s stock price of $85.83 implies a valuation ratio of 14.6x forward price-to-sales. Is now the time to initiate a position? 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 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.
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