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.
Luckily for you, we at StockStory have no conflicts of interest - our sole job is to help you find genuinely promising companies. That said, here is one stock where Wall Street’s positive outlook is supported by strong fundamentals and two where consensus estimates seem disconnected from reality.
Two Stocks to Sell:
LiveRamp (RAMP)
Consensus Price Target: $40.38 (38.2% implied return)
Serving as the digital middleman in an increasingly privacy-conscious world, LiveRamp (NYSE:RAMP) provides technology that helps companies securely share and connect their customer data with trusted partners while maintaining privacy compliance.
Why Is RAMP Not Exciting?
- Customers were hesitant to make long-term commitments to its software as its 7.4% average ARR growth over the last year was sluggish
- Estimated sales growth of 9% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its two-year trend
- Operating profits and efficiency rose over the last year as it benefited from some fixed cost leverage
LiveRamp is trading at $29.22 per share, or 2.3x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with RAMP, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).
International Paper (IP)
Consensus Price Target: $47.89 (23.4% implied return)
Established in 1898, International Paper (NYSE:IP) produces containerboard, pulp, paper, and materials used in packaging and printing applications.
Why Do We Pass on IP?
- Large revenue base makes it harder to increase sales quickly, and its annual revenue growth of 2.4% over the last five years was below our standards for the industrials sector
- Free cash flow margin shrank by 11.5 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive
- Waning returns on capital from an already weak starting point displays the inefficacy of management’s past and current investment decisions
At $38.81 per share, International Paper trades at 21.7x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than IP.
One Stock to Buy:
Pinterest (PINS)
Consensus Price Target: $36.93 (43.9% implied return)
Created with the idea of virtually replacing paper catalogues, Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) is an online image and social discovery platform.
Why Is PINS a Top Pick?
- Monthly Active Users have increased by an average of 11.2% annually, giving it the potential for margin-accretive growth if it can develop valuable complementary products and features
- Excellent EBITDA margin of 28.3% highlights the efficiency of its business model, and its operating leverage amplified its profits over the last few years
- Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends, and its growing cash flow gives it even more resources to deploy
Pinterest’s stock price of $25.66 implies a valuation ratio of 11.2x forward EV/EBITDA. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free for active Edge members.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
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Don’t wait for the next volatility shock. Check out our Top 5 Strong Momentum 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).
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