When Wall Street turns bearish on a stock, it’s worth paying attention. These calls stand out because analysts rarely issue grim ratings on companies for fear their firms will lose out in other business lines such as M&A advisory.
At StockStory, we look beyond the headlines with our independent analysis to determine whether these bearish calls are justified. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock where Wall Street’s pessimism is creating a buying opportunity and two where the skepticism is well-placed.
Two Stocks to Sell:
Progyny (PGNY)
Consensus Price Target: $29.11 (17.3% implied return)
Pioneering a data-driven approach to family building that has achieved an industry-leading patient satisfaction score of +80, Progyny (NASDAQ:PGNY) provides comprehensive fertility and family building benefits solutions to employers, helping employees access quality fertility treatments and support services.
Why Are We Hesitant About PGNY?
- Subscale operations are evident in its revenue base of $1.27 billion, meaning it has fewer distribution channels than its larger rivals
- ROIC of 2.1% reflects management’s challenges in identifying attractive investment opportunities
Progyny’s stock price of $24.82 implies a valuation ratio of 13.4x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why PGNY doesn’t pass our bar.
CNO Financial Group (CNO)
Consensus Price Target: $44.40 (11.6% implied return)
Rebranded from Conseco in 2010 to signal a fresh start after navigating financial challenges, CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) develops and markets health insurance, annuities, and life insurance products primarily targeting middle-income pre-retirees and retirees.
Why Do We Think Twice About CNO?
- Net premiums earned plateaued over the last five years, signaling weak incremental demand for its insurance policies
- Anticipated sales growth of 4.2% for the next year implies demand will be shaky
- Products and services are facing significant credit quality challenges during this cycle as book value per share has declined by 5.7% annually over the last five years
CNO Financial Group is trading at $39.77 per share, or 1.4x forward P/B. If you’re considering CNO for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.
One Stock to Buy:
SoFi (SOFI)
Consensus Price Target: $26.61 (7% implied return)
Starting as a student loan refinancing company founded by Stanford business school students in 2011, SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ:SOFI) operates a digital financial platform offering lending, banking, investing, and other financial services to help members borrow, save, spend, invest, and protect their money.
Why Are We Bullish on SOFI?
- Annual revenue growth of 30.1% over the last two years was superb and indicates its market share increased during this cycle
- Incremental sales over the last two years have been highly profitable as its earnings per share increased by 92.5% annually, topping its revenue gains
At $24.88 per share, SoFi trades at 44.7x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
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The names generating the next wave of massive growth are right here in 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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