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1 Growth Stock to Stash and 2 We Avoid


Kayode Omotosho /
2026/02/05 11:31 pm EST

Growth boosts valuation multiples, but it doesn’t always last forever. Companies that cannot maintain it are often penalized with large declines in market value, a lesson ingrained in investors who lost money in tech stocks during 2022.

Luckily for you, our job at StockStory is to help you avoid short-term fads by pointing you toward high-quality businesses that can generate sustainable long-term growth. On that note, here is one growth stock expanding its competitive advantage and two whose momentum may slow.

Two Growth Stocks to Sell:

Exact Sciences (EXAS)

One-Year Revenue Growth: +14.5%

With a mission to detect cancer earlier when it's more treatable, Exact Sciences (NASDAQ:EXAS) develops and markets cancer screening and diagnostic tests, including its flagship Cologuard stool-based colorectal cancer screening test.

Why Are We Cautious About EXAS?

  1. Cash-burning tendencies make us wonder if it can sustainably generate shareholder value
  2. Negative returns on capital show that some of its growth strategies have backfired

At $102.65 per share, Exact Sciences trades at 121.3x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than EXAS.

Enova (ENVA)

One-Year Revenue Growth: +18.6%

Pioneering online lending since 2004 with a massive database of over 65 terabytes of customer behavior data, Enova International (NYSE:ENVA) provides online financial services including installment loans and lines of credit to non-prime consumers and small businesses in the United States and Brazil.

Why Does ENVA Fall Short?

  1. 5× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio shows it’s overleveraged and increases the probability of shareholder dilution if things turn unexpectedly

Enova’s stock price of $155.57 implies a valuation ratio of 10x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including ENVA in your portfolio.

One Growth Stock to Buy:

Planet Labs (PL)

One-Year Revenue Growth: +16.9%

Pioneering the concept of "agile aerospace" with hundreds of small but powerful satellites, Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) operates the world's largest fleet of Earth observation satellites, capturing daily images of our planet to provide insights on deforestation, agriculture, and climate change.

Why Is PL a Good Business?

  1. Annual revenue growth of 23.1% over the last five years was superb and indicates its market share increased during this cycle
  2. Free cash flow margin is now positive, indicating the company has passed a significant test
  3. Rising returns on capital show the company is starting to reap the benefits of its past investments

Planet Labs is trading at $19.20 per share, or 718.8x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

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 Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.