3 Unpopular Stocks We Find Risky

Wall Street’s bearish price targets for the stocks in this article signal serious concerns. Such forecasts are uncommon in an industry where maintaining cordial corporate relationships often trumps delivering the hard truth.

Whatever the consensus opinion may be, our team at StockStory cuts through the noise by conducting independent analysis to determine a company’s long-term prospects. Keeping that in mind, here are three stocks facing legitimate challenges and some alternatives worth exploring instead.

Consensus Price Target: $12 (0.1% implied return)

Born from the need to make sense of the complex digital marketing landscape, Semrush (NYSE:SEMR) is a software-as-a-service platform that helps companies improve their online visibility, analyze digital marketing efforts, and optimize content across search engines and social media.

Why Are We Hesitant About SEMR?

1. Below-average net revenue retention rate of 105% suggests it has some trouble expanding within existing accounts

2. Operating margin fell by 7.3 percentage points over the last year as it prioritized growth over profits

3. Poor free cash flow margin of 9.7% for the last year limits its freedom to invest in growth initiatives, execute share buybacks, or pay dividends

At $11.99 per share, Semrush trades at 3.5x forward price-to-sales. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including SEMR in your portfolio, it’s free.

Consensus Price Target: $202.63 (-7.9% implied return)

With its name deriving from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s nickname, Old Dominion (NASDAQ:ODFL) delivers less-than-truckload (LTL) and full-container load freight.

Why Do We Think Twice About ODFL?

1. Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 3.2% annually over the last two years

2. Earnings per share have dipped by 7.2% annually over the past two years, which is concerning because stock prices follow EPS over the long term

3. Diminishing returns on capital suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up

Old Dominion Freight Line’s stock price of $220.07 implies a valuation ratio of 44.1x forward P/E. If you’re considering ODFL for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Consensus Price Target: $65.11 (-1.8% implied return)

Built on the principle of giving back unused premiums to charitable causes selected by policyholders, Lemonade (NYSE:LMND) is a technology-driven insurance company that offers homeowners, renters, pet, car, and life insurance through an AI-powered digital platform.

Why Does LMND Give Us Pause?

1. Annual earnings per share growth of 15.8% underperformed its revenue over the last two years, showing its incremental sales were less profitable

2. Annual book value per share declines of 5.9% for the past five years show its capital management struggled during this cycle

3. Push for growth has led to negative returns on capital, signaling value destruction

Lemonade is trading at $66.34 per share, or 11x forward P/B. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than LMND.

ONE MORE THING: Top 5 Growth Stocks. The biggest stock winners almost always had one thing in common before they ran. Revenue growing like crazy. Meta. CrowdStrike. Broadcom. Our AI flagged all three. They returned 315%, 314%, and 455%, respectively.

Find out which 5 stocks it’s flagging for this month — FREE. Get Our Top 5 Growth Stocks for Free HERE.

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.