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.

Whatever the consensus opinion may be, our team at StockStory cuts through the noise by conducting independent analysis to determine a company’s long-term prospects. Keeping that in mind, here are three stocks where the skepticism is well-placed and some better opportunities to consider.

CAVA (CAVA)

Consensus Price Target: $82.74 (2.8% implied return)

Starting from a single Washington, D.C. location, CAVA (NYSE: CAVA) operates a fast-casual restaurant chain offering customizable Mediterranean-inspired dishes.

Why Does CAVA Fall Short?

1. Poor expense management has led to an operating margin of 4.6% that is below the industry average
2. Earnings per share have dipped by 12.8% annually over the past two years, which is concerning because stock prices follow EPS over the long term
3. Negative returns on capital show that some of its growth strategies have backfired

At $80.51 per share, CAVA trades at 160.3x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including CAVA in your portfolio.

Old Republic International (ORI)

Consensus Price Target: $42.50 (4.6% implied return)

Founded during the Roaring Twenties in 1923 and weathering nearly a century of economic cycles, Old Republic International (NYSE: ORI) is a diversified insurance holding company that provides property, liability, title, and mortgage guaranty insurance through its various subsidiaries.

Why Does ORI Give Us Pause?

1. Net premiums earned expanded by 4.2% annually over the last five years, falling below our expectations for the insurance sector
2. Earnings per share lagged its peers over the last two years as they only grew by 9.4% annually
3. Annual book value per share growth of 1.9% over the last two years was below our standards for the insurance sector

Old Republic International is trading at $40.63 per share, or 1.7x forward P/B. If you’re considering ORI for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

BOK Financial (BOKF)

Consensus Price Target: $135.30 (7.7% implied return)

Tracing its roots back to 1910 when Oklahoma was still a young state, BOK Financial (NASDAQ: BOKF) is a regional bank holding company that provides commercial banking, consumer banking, and wealth management services across eight states in the central and southwestern US.

Why Should You Dump BOKF?

1. Annual revenue growth of 2.2% over the last five years was below our standards for the banking sector
2. Muted 3.7% annual net interest income growth over the last five years shows its demand lagged behind its banking peers
3. Net interest margin of 2.8% reflects its high servicing and capital costs

BOK Financial’s stock price of $125.69 implies a valuation ratio of 1.2x forward P/B. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than BOKF.

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