The past year hasn't been kind to the stocks featured in this article. Each has tumbled to their lowest points in 12 months, leaving investors to decide whether they're witnessing fire sales or falling knives.
While market timing can be an extremely profitable strategy, it has burned many investors and requires rigorous analysis - something we specialize in at StockStory. Keeping that in mind, here are two stocks where the poor sentiment is creating a buying opportunity and one where the skepticism is well-placed.
One Stock to Sell:
Paychex (PAYX)
One-Month Return: -11.9%
Once known as the go-to service for small business payroll needs, Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) provides payroll processing, HR services, employee benefits administration, and insurance solutions to small and medium-sized businesses.
Why Does PAYX Give Us Pause?
- Annual revenue growth of 8.7% over the last five years was well below our standards for the software sector
- Estimated sales growth of 10.6% for the next 12 months is soft and implies weaker demand
- Costs have risen faster than its revenue over the last year, causing its operating margin to decline by 4.2 percentage points
At $99.25 per share, Paychex trades at 5.3x forward price-to-sales. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including PAYX in your portfolio.
Two Stocks to Watch:
Atlassian (TEAM)
One-Month Return: -36.3%
Started by two Australian university friends who funded their startup with credit cards, Atlassian (NASDAQ:TEAM) provides software tools that help teams plan, track, collaborate, and share knowledge across organizations.
Why Are We Fans of TEAM?
- Market share has increased as its 21.6% annual revenue growth over the last two years was exceptional
- Prominent and differentiated software leads to a top-tier gross margin of 84.1%
- User-friendly software enables clients to ramp up spending quickly, leading to the speedy recovery of customer acquisition costs
Atlassian’s stock price of $93.34 implies a valuation ratio of 3.5x forward price-to-sales. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.
Tradeweb Markets (TW)
One-Month Return: +11%
Founded in 1996 as one of the pioneers in electronic bond trading, Tradeweb Markets (NASDAQ:TW) builds and operates electronic marketplaces that connect financial institutions for trading across rates, credit, equities, and money markets.
Why Is TW a Top Pick?
- Market share has increased this cycle as its 23.8% annual revenue growth over the last two years was exceptional
- Incremental sales significantly boosted profitability as its annual earnings per share growth of 22.6% over the last five years outstripped its revenue performance
Tradeweb Markets is trading at $116.46 per share, or 29.2x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.
Stocks We Like Even More
If your portfolio success hinges on just 4 stocks, your wealth is built on fragile ground. You have a small window to secure high-quality assets before the market widens and these prices disappear.
Don’t wait for the next volatility shock. Check out 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.