A stock with low volatility can be reassuring, but it doesn’t always mean strong long-term performance. Investors who prioritize stability may miss out on higher-reward opportunities elsewhere.

Choosing the wrong investments can cause you to fall behind, which is why we started StockStory - to separate the winners from the losers. That said, here are three low-volatility stocks to avoid and some better opportunities instead.

Planet Fitness (PLNT)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.41

Founded by two brothers who purchased a struggling gym, Planet Fitness (NYSE: PLNT) is a gym franchise that caters to casual fitness users by providing a friendly and inclusive atmosphere.

Why Do We Pass on PLNT?

1. Weak same-store sales trends over the past two years suggest there may be few opportunities in its core markets to open new locations
2. Free cash flow margin is forecasted to grow by 1.6 percentage points in the coming year, potentially giving the company more chips to play with
3. Eroding returns on capital from an already low base indicate that management’s recent investments are destroying value

At $106.86 per share, Planet Fitness trades at 31.3x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than PLNT.

Tennant (TNC)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.83

As the world’s largest manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots, Tennant (NYSE: TNC) designs, manufactures, and sells cleaning products to various sectors.

Why Do We Think TNC Will Underperform?

1. Products and services are facing end-market challenges during this cycle, as seen in its flat sales over the last two years
2. Demand will likely be soft over the next 12 months as Wall Street’s estimates imply tepid growth of 3.7%
3. Performance over the past two years shows each sale was less profitable, as its earnings per share fell by 4.3% annually

Tennant is trading at $78.56 per share, or 11.9x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with TNC, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Hilltop Holdings (HTH)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.60

Transformed from a residential communities business to a financial services powerhouse in 2007, Hilltop Holdings (NYSE: HTH) is a Texas-based financial holding company that provides banking, broker-dealer, and mortgage origination services.

Why Are We Out on HTH?

1. Loans are facing end-market challenges during this cycle, as seen in its flat net interest income over the last five years
2. Overall productivity is expected to decrease over the next year as Wall Street thinks its efficiency ratio will degrade by 32.9 percentage points
3. Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last five years, showing each sale was less profitable

Hilltop Holdings’s stock price of $34.95 implies a valuation ratio of 1x forward P/B. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why HTH doesn’t pass our bar.

Stocks We Like More

If your portfolio success hinges on just 4 stocks, your wealth is built on fragile ground. You have a small window to secure high-quality assets before the market widens and these prices disappear.

Don’t wait for the next volatility shock. Check out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 244% over the last five years (as of June 30, 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,326% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.