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2 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stocks to Consider Right Now and 1 We Avoid
Wall Street is overwhelmingly bullish on the stocks in this article, with price targets suggesting significant upside potential. However, it’s worth remembering that analysts rarely issue sell ratings, partly because their firms often seek other business from the same companies they cover.
At StockStory, we look beyond the headlines with our independent analysis to determine whether these bullish calls are justified. Keeping that in mind, here are two stocks where Wall Street’s excitement appears well-founded and one where its enthusiasm might be excessive.
One Stock to Sell:
Crown Holdings (CCK)
Consensus Price Target: $136.57 (25.6% implied return)
Formerly Crown Cork & Seal, Crown Holdings (NYSE:CCK) produces packaging products for consumer marketing companies, including food, beverage, household, and industrial products.
Why Does CCK Fall Short?
- Annual sales growth of 1.9% over the last five years lagged behind its industrials peers as its large revenue base made it difficult to generate incremental demand
- Gross margin of 20.3% is below its competitors, leaving less money to invest in areas like marketing and R&D
- Earnings growth over the last five years fell short of the peer group average as its EPS only increased by 2.3% annually
Crown Holdings is trading at $108.73 per share, or 12.9x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why CCK doesn’t pass our bar.
Two Stocks to Watch:
Dycom (DY)
Consensus Price Target: $520.91 (77.8% implied return)
Working alongside some of the most popular mobile carriers in the world, Dycom (NYSE:DY) builds and maintains telecommunications infrastructure.
Why Do We Love DY?
- Annual revenue growth of 24.6% over the past two years was outstanding, reflecting market share gains this cycle
- Incremental sales over the last two years have been highly profitable as its earnings per share increased by 37% annually, topping its revenue gains
- Free cash flow margin expanded by 6.4 percentage points over the last five years, providing additional flexibility for investments and share buybacks/dividends
Dycom’s stock price of $293 implies a valuation ratio of 15.8x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.
Popular (BPOP)
Consensus Price Target: $196.70 (21% implied return)
Founded in 1893 as the first bank in Puerto Rico to serve the working class, Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) is a financial holding company that provides retail, mortgage, and commercial banking services primarily in Puerto Rico and the mainland United States.
Why Does BPOP Stand Out?
- Projected net interest income growth of 17.3% for the next 12 months is above its five-year trend, pointing to accelerating demand
- Net interest margin increased by 58.8 basis points (100 basis points = 1 percentage point) over the last two years, giving the firm more capital to invest or return to shareholders
- Share buybacks catapulted its annual earnings per share growth to 33.8%, which outperformed its revenue gains over the last two years
At $162.57 per share, Popular trades at 1.5x forward P/B. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.
Stocks We Like Even More
WHILE YOU’RE HERE: Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. The best stocks don’t just beat the market once. They do it again. And again. Robust revenue growth, rising free cash flow, returns on capital that leave their competition in the dust. The market has already rewarded these businesses.
But our AI platform says the party isn’t over. Find out which 9 stocks made the cut this week — FREE. Get Our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks for Free HERE.
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,460% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+214% between June 2020 and June 2025). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.