Investors can certainly boost their returns by concentrating on stocks trading between $1 and $10. However, a disciplined approach is necessary because many of these businesses are speculative and lack the underlying fundamentals to support their prices.

Luckily for you, our mission at StockStory is to help you make money and avoid losses by sorting the winners from the losers. Keeping that in mind, here are three stocks under $10 to avoid and some other investments you should consider instead.

Sportsman's Warehouse (SPWH)

Share Price: $3.01

A go-to destination for individuals passionate about hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, shooting sports, and more, Sportsman's Warehouse (NASDAQ: SPWH) is an American specialty retailer offering a diverse range of active gear, equipment, and apparel.

Why Do We Think SPWH Will Underperform?

1. Poor same-store sales performance over the past two years indicates it’s having trouble bringing new shoppers into its brick-and-mortar locations
2. Free cash flow margin shrank by 9.2 percentage points over the last year, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive
3. Limited cash reserves may force the company to seek unfavorable financing terms that could dilute shareholders

Sportsman's Warehouse is trading at $3.01 per share, or 3.2x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than SPWH.

WideOpenWest (WOW)

Share Price: $5.14

Initially started in Denver as a cable television provider, WideOpenWest (NYSE: WOW) provides high-speed internet, cable, and telephone services to the Midwest and Southeast regions of the U.S.

Why Do We Avoid WOW?

1. Sluggish trends in its subscribers suggest customers aren’t adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped
2. Cash-burning history makes us doubt the long-term viability of its business model
3. Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results

At $5.14 per share, WideOpenWest trades at 1.6x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why WOW doesn’t pass our bar.

Lumen (LUMN)

Share Price: $5.09

With approximately 350,000 route miles of fiber optic cable spanning North America and the Asia Pacific, Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) operates a vast fiber optic network that provides communications, cloud connectivity, security, and IT solutions to businesses and consumers.

Why Should You Sell LUMN?

1. Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 9.5% annually over the last five years
2. Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last five years, showing each sale was less profitable
3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 9.2 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

Lumen’s stock price of $5.09 implies a valuation ratio of 1.5x forward EV-to-EBITDA. To fully understand why you should be careful with LUMN, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Stocks We Like More

Donald Trump’s April 2025 "Liberation Day" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities.

The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don’t miss out on the recovery - check 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 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).

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-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today

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