Wall Street has set ambitious price targets for the stocks in this article. While this suggests attractive upside potential, it’s important to remain skeptical because analysts face institutional pressures that can sometimes lead to overly optimistic forecasts.
Unlike the investment banks, we created StockStory to provide independent analysis that helps you determine which companies are truly worth following. Keeping that in mind, here are two stocks likely to meet or exceed Wall Street’s lofty expectations and one where its enthusiasm might be excessive.
One Stock to Sell:
Fortrea (FTRE)
Consensus Price Target: $20.55 (4.6% implied return)
Spun off from Labcorp in 2023 to focus exclusively on clinical research services, Fortrea (NASDAQ: FTRE) is a contract research organization that helps pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies develop and bring their products to market through clinical trials and support services.
Why Are We Out on FTRE?
- Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 3% annually over the last five years
- Negative returns on capital show management lost money while trying to expand the business, and its shrinking returns suggest its past profit sources are losing steam
- Diminishing returns on capital from an already low starting point show that neither management’s prior nor current bets are going as planned
Fortrea is trading at $19.65 per share, or 18.6x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including FTRE in your portfolio.
Two Stocks to Watch:
Analog Devices (ADI)
Consensus Price Target: $470.72 (29.9% implied return)
Founded by two MIT graduates, Ray Stata and Matthew Lorber in 1965, Analog Devices (NASDAQ: ADI) is one of the largest providers of high performance analog integrated circuits used mainly in industrial end markets, along with communications, autos, and consumer devices.
Why Does ADI Stand Out?
- Annual revenue growth of 16.4% over the past five years was outstanding, reflecting market share gains this cycle
- Offerings are difficult to replicate at scale and result in a best-in-class gross margin of 63.4%
- Strong free cash flow margin of 35.5% enables it to reinvest or return capital consistently, and its rising cash conversion increases its margin of safety
At $362.37 per share, Analog Devices trades at 22.7x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.
Byrna (BYRN)
Consensus Price Target: $6.83 (82% implied return)
Providing civilians with tools to disable, disarm, and deter would-be assailants, Byrna (NASDAQ: BYRN) is a provider of non-lethal weapons.
Why Will BYRN Outperform?
- Annual revenue growth of 35.1% over the last two years was superb and indicates its market share increased during this cycle
- Free cash flow profile has reached break even, indicating the company has passed a significant test
- Returns on capital are increasing as management’s prior bets are starting to bear fruit
Byrna’s stock price of $3.75 implies a valuation ratio of 1x forward price-to-sales. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
ONE MORE THING: Top 5 Growth Stocks. The biggest stock winners almost always had one thing in common before they ran. Revenue growing like crazy. Meta. CrowdStrike. Broadcom. Our AI flagged all three. They returned 315%, 314%, and 455%, respectively.
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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 Tecnoglass (+1,552% between June 2020 and June 2025). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
