Many investors pay attention to mid-cap stocks because they have established business models and expansive market opportunities. However, their paths to becoming $100 billion corporations are ripe with competition, ranging from giants with vast resources to agile upstarts eager to disrupt the status quo.

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 mid-cap stocks to avoid and some other investments you should consider instead.

Darden (DRI)

Market Cap: $23.32 billion

Founded in 1968 as Red Lobster, Darden (NYSE: DRI) is a leading American restaurant company that owns and operates a portfolio of popular restaurant brands.

Why Does DRI Fall Short?

1. Sizable revenue base leads to growth challenges as its 6.4% annual revenue increases over the last six years fell short of other restaurant companies
2. Lagging same-store sales over the past two years suggest it might have to change its pricing and marketing strategy to stimulate demand
3. Lacking pricing power results in an inferior gross margin of 21.6% that must be offset by turning more tables

Darden is trading at $202.60 per share, or 18.1x forward P/E. If you’re considering DRI for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

AeroVironment (AVAV)

Market Cap: $17.15 billion

Focused on the future of autonomous military combat, AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) specializes in advanced unmanned aircraft systems and electric vehicle charging solutions.

Why Are We Cautious About AVAV?

1. Costs have risen faster than its revenue over the last five years, causing its operating margin to decline by 8.4 percentage points
2. Incremental sales over the last two years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 9.9% annually while its revenue grew
3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 19 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

AeroVironment’s stock price of $344.23 implies a valuation ratio of 68.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than AVAV.

Comerica (CMA)

Market Cap: $11.82 billion

Founded in 1849 during the California Gold Rush era, Comerica (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company that provides commercial banking, retail banking, and wealth management services to businesses and individuals.

Why Should You Dump CMA?

1. Net interest income trends were unexciting over the last five years as its 3% annual growth was below the typical banking firm
2. Performance over the past two years shows each sale was less profitable as its earnings per share dropped by 23% annually, worse than its revenue
3. Flat tangible book value per share over the last five years suggest it must find different ways to enhance shareholder value during this cycle

At $92.63 per share, Comerica trades at 1.7x forward P/B. To fully understand why you should be careful with CMA, check out our full research report (it’s free).

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged in our Top 6 Stocks for this week. 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.