The stocks featured in this article are seeing some big returns. Over the past month, they’ve outpaced the market due to some combination of positive news, upbeat results, or supportive macro developments. As such, investors are taking notice and bidding up shares.

But not every company with momentum is a long-term winner, and plenty of investors have lost money betting on short-term fads. On that note, here are three stocks that are likely overheated and some you should look into instead.

Intel (INTC)

One-Month Return: +30.1%

Inventor of the x86 processor that powered decades of technological innovation in PCs, data centers, and numerous other markets, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a leading manufacturer of computer processors and graphics chips.

Why Is INTC Risky?

1. Sales tumbled by 6.4% annually over the last five years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
2. Performance over the past five years shows each sale was less profitable as its earnings per share dropped by 40.7% annually, worse than its revenue
3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 35.3 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

At $48.53 per share, Intel trades at 114.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than INTC.

Adtalem (ATGE)

One-Month Return: +17%

Formerly known as DeVry Education Group, Adtalem Global Education (NYSE: ATGE) is a global provider of workforce solutions and educational services.

Why Do We Pass on ATGE?

1. Annual revenue growth of 12.5% over the last five years was below our standards for the consumer discretionary sector
2. Capital intensity will likely ramp up in the next year as its free cash flow margin is expected to contract by 1.2 percentage points
3. Underwhelming 10.2% return on capital reflects management’s difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities

Adtalem is trading at $117.42 per share, or 2.2x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with ATGE, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Mercury Systems (MRCY)

One-Month Return: +43.4%

Founded in 1981, Mercury Systems (NASDAQ: MRCY) specializes in providing processing subsystems and components for primarily defense applications.

Why Should You Dump MRCY?

1. Organic sales performance over the past two years indicates the company may need to make strategic adjustments or rely on M&A to catalyze faster growth
2. Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 7.6 percentage points
3. Earnings per share fell by 18.3% annually over the last five years while its revenue grew, partly because it diluted shareholders

Mercury Systems’s stock price of $102.94 implies a valuation ratio of 99.8x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including MRCY in your portfolio.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged in 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-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.