The stocks featured in this article have all approached their 52-week highs. When these price levels hit, it typically signals strong business execution, positive market sentiment, or significant industry tailwinds.
But not every company with momentum is a long-term winner, and plenty of investors have lost money betting on short-term fads. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock we think lives up to the hype and two that may correct.
Two Stocks to Sell:
Peoples Bancorp (PEBO)
One-Month Return: +6.8%
Founded in 1902 in Ohio and expanding through both organic growth and acquisitions, Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ: PEBO) is a financial holding company that provides banking, insurance, equipment leasing, and investment services to consumers and businesses.
Why Do We Think Twice About PEBO?
- Sales trends were unexciting over the last two years as its 3.5% annual growth was below the typical banking company
- Concessions to defend its market share have ramped up over the last two years as its net interest margin decreased by 45.3 basis points (100 basis points = 1 percentage point)
- Incremental sales over the last two years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 12.4% annually while its revenue grew
Peoples Bancorp’s stock price of $33.72 implies a valuation ratio of 0.9x forward P/B. If you’re considering PEBO for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.
FB Financial (FBK)
One-Month Return: +0.1%
Founded in 1906 and operating through more than a century of economic cycles, FB Financial (NYSE: FBK) operates FirstBank, providing commercial and consumer banking services across Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and North Georgia.
Why Does FBK Fall Short?
- Annual revenue growth of 1.9% over the last five years was below our standards for the banking sector
- Earnings growth underperformed the sector average over the last five years as its EPS grew by just 2.4% annually
- Capital trends were unexciting over the last two years as its 8.6% annual tangible book value per share growth was below the typical banking firm
At $58.56 per share, FB Financial trades at 1.4x forward P/B. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including FBK in your portfolio.
One Stock to Watch:
Amgen (AMGN)
One-Month Return: +14.5%
Founded in 1980 during the early days of the biotechnology revolution, Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) is a biotechnology company that discovers, develops, and manufactures innovative medicines to treat serious illnesses like cancer, osteoporosis, and autoimmune diseases.
Why Are We Positive On AMGN?
- Offerings and unique value proposition resonate with customers, as seen in its above-market 14.2% annual sales growth over the last two years
- $36.75 billion in revenue gives its scale, which leads to bargaining power with customers because there are few trusted alternatives
- Robust free cash flow margin of 28.6% gives it many options for capital deployment
Amgen is trading at $379 per share, or 16.7x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
Your portfolio can’t afford to be based on yesterday’s story. The risk in a handful of heavily crowded stocks is rising daily.
The names generating the next wave of massive growth are right here in our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. 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.
