Nasdaq
华尔街日报1 Safe-and-Steady Stock to Keep an Eye On and 2 Facing Headwinds
A stock with low volatility can be reassuring, but it doesn’t always mean strong long-term performance. Investors who prioritize stability may miss out on higher-reward opportunities elsewhere.
Choosing the wrong investments can cause you to fall behind, which is why we started StockStory - to separate the winners from the losers. Keeping that in mind, here is one low-volatility stock that could succeed under all market conditions and two that may not deliver the returns you need.
Two Stocks to Sell:
Central Garden & Pet (CENT)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.36
Enhancing the lives of both pets and homeowners, Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) is a leading producer and distributor of essential products for pet care, lawn and garden maintenance, and pest control.
Why Is CENT Risky?
- Organic sales performance over the past two years indicates the company may need to make strategic adjustments or rely on M&A to catalyze faster growth
- Sales are projected to be flat over the next 12 months and imply weak demand
- Below-average returns on capital indicate management struggled to find compelling investment opportunities, and its shrinking returns suggest its past profit sources are losing steam
At $32.68 per share, Central Garden & Pet trades at 11.7x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with CENT, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).
Lamb Weston (LW)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.20
Best known for its Grown in Idaho brand, Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) produces and distributes potato products such as frozen french fries and mashed potatoes.
Why Does LW Give Us Pause?
- Core business is underperforming as its organic revenue has disappointed over the past two years, suggesting it might need acquisitions to stimulate growth
- Demand will likely fall over the next 12 months as Wall Street expects flat revenue
- Easily substituted products (and therefore stiff competition) result in an inferior gross margin of 22.9% that must be offset through higher volumes
Lamb Weston is trading at $42.14 per share, or 16x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why LW doesn’t pass our bar.
One Stock to Watch:
Ollie's (OLLI)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.47
Often located in suburban or semi-rural shopping centers, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (NASDAQ:OLLI) is a discount retailer that acquires excess inventory then sells at meaningful discounts.
Why Are We Positive On OLLI?
- Aggressive strategy of rolling out new stores to gobble up whitespace is prudent given its same-store sales growth
- Locations open for at least a year are seeing increased demand as same-store sales have averaged 3.2% growth over the past two years
- Projected revenue growth of 14.8% for the next 12 months is above its three-year trend, pointing to accelerating demand
Ollie’s stock price of $112.34 implies a valuation ratio of 25.9x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
The market’s up big this year - but there’s a catch. Just 4 stocks account for half the S&P 500’s entire gain. That kind of concentration makes investors nervous, and for good reason. While everyone piles into the same crowded names, smart investors are hunting quality where no one’s looking - and paying a fraction of the price. 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 Exlservice (+354% 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.