3 Stocks We’re Avoiding Right Now

Stocks Facing Significant Challenges

Over the past year, the stocks discussed here have experienced steep declines, reaching their lowest levels in twelve months. Investors are now left to determine whether these drops represent attractive bargains or risky investments.

Although timing the market can yield substantial gains, it often proves difficult and risky without thorough research—an area where StockStory excels. Below, we highlight three companies currently encountering real obstacles, along with some alternative options worth considering.

Getty Images (GETY)

One-Month Performance: -41.1%

Getty Images (NYSE:GETY) operates a global platform for visual content, offering a collection of more than 562 million assets, including photos, videos, illustrations, and music. Their services cater to businesses, media organizations, and creative professionals, covering everything from breaking news to historic events.

Key Reasons for GETY's Struggles

• Revenue growth has been modest, with only a 1.3% annual increase over the past two years, trailing behind other business service providers.
• The company’s free cash flow margin has dropped by 11.2 percentage points in five years, reflecting increased spending to maintain its competitive edge.
• Returns on capital are shrinking, indicating that previous profit sources are drying up.

Currently, Getty Images is priced at $0.78 per share, with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 11.9.

Kemper (KMPR)

One-Month Performance: -19%

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR), formerly known as Unitrin until its 2011 rebranding, is an insurance holding company offering automobile, homeowners, life, and other insurance products to individuals and businesses throughout the United States.

Why Kemper Is Facing Headwinds

• Sales of insurance policies have declined, with net premiums earned falling by 1.2% annually over the past five years.
• Profitability has worsened, as earnings per share dropped by 11.7% each year, outpacing the decline in revenue.
• The company’s products and services are struggling with credit quality issues, evidenced by an 8.1% annual decrease in book value per share over five years.

Kemper’s shares trade at $31.58, equating to a forward price-to-book ratio of 0.7.

Navient (NAVI)

One-Month Performance: -11.9%

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) was spun off from Sallie Mae in 2014 to manage loan servicing and collections. The company specializes in servicing federal and private student loans, as well as providing business processing solutions for government services.

Reasons to Be Cautious with NAVI

• Sales have dropped by 19.2% annually over the past five years, indicating difficulty connecting with customers.
• Earnings per share have declined over the same period, raising concerns among investors since stock prices tend to follow EPS in the long run.
• Navient’s debt-to-equity ratio stands at 18.8, suggesting the company is highly leveraged and vulnerable to setbacks.

Navient is currently priced at $8.79 per share, with a forward P/E ratio of 12.7.

Top Stocks for Any Market Environment

Recommended: The 5 Best Momentum Stocks

The optimal moment to invest in a high-quality stock is when the market starts to recognize its potential. These companies not only have strong fundamentals but are also experiencing positive momentum right now—making them stand out.

Discover which stocks our AI-driven platform is highlighting this week. Access this week’s list of Strong Momentum stocks for free.

Past selections include well-known names like Nvidia, which soared by 1,326% from June 2020 to June 2025, and lesser-known companies such as Tecnoglass, which delivered a 1,754% five-year return.