3 Out-of-Favor Stocks Facing Headwinds
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3 Out-of-Favor Stocks Facing Headwinds

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Hitting a new 52-week low can be a pivotal moment for any stock. These floors often mark either the beginning of a turnaround story or confirmation that a company faces serious headwinds.

Price charts only tell part of the story. Our team at StockStory evaluates each company's underlying fundamentals to separate temporary setbacks from structural declines. That said, here are three stocks where the skepticism is well-placed and some better opportunities to consider.

Opendoor (OPEN)

One-Month Return: -12.3%

Founded by real estate guru Eric Wu, Opendoor (NASDAQ:OPEN) offers a technology-driven, convenient, and streamlined process to buy and sell homes.

Why Do We Steer Clear of OPEN?

  1. Number of homes purchased has disappointed over the past two years, indicating weak demand for its offerings

  2. Cash-burning history makes us doubt the long-term viability of its business model

  3. Limited cash reserves may force the company to seek unfavorable financing terms that could dilute shareholders

At $0.68 per share, Opendoor trades at 0.1x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with OPEN, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Lancaster Colony (LANC)

One-Month Return: -13.6%

Known for its frozen garlic bread and Parkerhouse rolls, Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) sells bread, dressing, and dips to the retail and food service channels.

Why Does LANC Fall Short?

  1. Muted 5.4% annual revenue growth over the last three years shows its demand lagged behind its consumer staples peers

  2. Smaller revenue base of $1.89 billion means it hasn’t achieved the economies of scale that some industry juggernauts enjoy

  3. Estimated sales growth of 1.7% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend

Lancaster Colony’s stock price of $164 implies a valuation ratio of 23.2x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why LANC doesn’t pass our bar.

Ziff Davis (ZD)

One-Month Return: -1.4%

Originally a pioneering technology publisher founded in 1927 that became famous for PC Magazine, Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) operates a portfolio of digital media brands and subscription services across technology, shopping, gaming, healthcare, and cybersecurity markets.

Why Should You Sell ZD?

  1. Sales stagnated over the last five years and signal the need for new growth strategies

  2. Sales over the last five years were less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 1.6% annually while its revenue was flat

  3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 17.6 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up