Wall Street’s bearish price targets for the stocks in this article signal serious concerns. Such forecasts are uncommon in an industry where maintaining cordial corporate relationships often trumps delivering the hard truth.

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 Wall Street’s pessimism is creating a buying opportunity and two where the outlook is warranted.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Procore (PCOR)

Consensus Price Target: $77.58 (12.4% implied return)

Used to manage the multi-year expansion of the Panama Canal that began in 2007, Procore (NYSE: PCOR) offers a software-as-service project, finance, and quality management platform for the construction industry.

Why Is PCOR Not Exciting?

1. Rapid expansion strategy came at the expense of operating profitability
2. Poor free cash flow margin of 9.8% for the last year limits its freedom to invest in growth initiatives, execute share buybacks, or pay dividends

Procore’s stock price of $69.01 implies a valuation ratio of 8x forward price-to-sales. If you’re considering PCOR for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Cisco (CSCO)

Consensus Price Target: $69.16 (9.2% implied return)

Founded in 1984 by a husband and wife team who wanted computers at Stanford to talk to computers at UC Berkeley, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) designs and sells networking equipment, security solutions, and collaboration tools that help businesses connect their systems and secure their digital operations.

Why Does CSCO Give Us Pause?

1. Flat sales over the last two years suggest it must find different ways to grow during this cycle
2. Free cash flow margin dropped by 5.7 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up
3. Waning returns on capital imply its previous profit engines are losing steam

At $63.33 per share, Cisco trades at 16.3x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with CSCO, check out our full research report (it’s free).

One Stock to Watch:

Cadence (CDNS)

Consensus Price Target: $320.84 (1.2% implied return)

With the name chosen to reflect the idea of a repeating pattern or rhythm in electronic design, Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ: CDNS) offers a software-as-a-service platform for semiconductor engineering and design.

Why Are We Positive On CDNS?

1. Winning new contracts that can potentially increase in value as its billings growth has averaged 24% over the last year
2. Prominent and differentiated software results in a best-in-class gross margin of 85.9%
3. Well-designed software integrates seamlessly with other workflows, enabling swift payback periods on marketing expenses and customer growth at scale

Cadence is trading at $317 per share, or 16.5x forward price-to-sales. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025.

While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we’re homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver’s seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years.

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-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.