In This Article:
The stocks featured in this article are seeing some big returns. Over the past month, they’ve outpaced the market due to new product launches, positive news, or even a dedicated social media following.
While momentum can be a leading indicator, it has burned many investors as it doesn’t always correlate with long-term success. All that said, here is one stock with lasting competitive advantages and two not so much.
Two Momentum Stocks to Sell:
News Corp (NWSA)
One-Month Return: +7.4%
Established in 2013 after a restructuring, News Corp (NASDAQ:NWSA) is a multinational conglomerate known for its news publishing, broadcasting, digital media, and book publishing.
Why Are We Out on NWSA?
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Products and services aren't resonating with the market as its revenue declined by 1.4% annually over the last five years
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Sales are expected to decline once again over the next 12 months as it continues working through a challenging demand environment
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Underwhelming 6.3% return on capital reflects management’s difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities
News Corp’s stock price of $28.22 implies a valuation ratio of 31.6x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than NWSA.
Terex (TEX)
One-Month Return: +32.2%
With humble beginnings as a dump truck company, Terex (NYSE:TEX) today manufactures lifting and material handling equipment designed to move and hoist heavy goods and materials.
Why Are We Hesitant About TEX?
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Organic revenue growth fell short of our benchmarks over the past two years and implies it may need to improve its products, pricing, or go-to-market strategy
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Earnings per share have dipped by 16.4% annually over the past two years, which is concerning because stock prices follow EPS over the long term
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6.1 percentage point decline in its free cash flow margin over the last five years reflects the company’s increased investments to defend its market position
At $46.65 per share, Terex trades at 9.6x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why TEX doesn’t pass our bar.
One Momentum Stock to Buy:
ServiceNow (NOW)
One-Month Return: +29.7%
Founded by Fred Luddy, who coded the company's initial prototype on a flight from San Francisco to London, ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW) is a software provider helping companies automate workflows across IT, HR, and customer service.
Why Are We Backing NOW?
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Sales pipeline is in good shape as its current remaining performance obligations (cRPO) averaged 22.3% growth over the last year
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Disciplined cost controls and effective management resulted in a strong trailing 12-month operating margin of 12.9%, and its rise over the last year was fueled by some leverage on its fixed costs
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NOW is a free cash flow machine with the flexibility to invest in growth initiatives or return capital to shareholders