Each stock in this article is trading near its 52-week high. These elevated prices usually indicate some degree of investor confidence, business improvements, or favorable market conditions.
However, not all companies with momentum are long-term winners, and many investors have lost money by following short-term trends. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock we think lives up to the hype and two best left ignored.
Two Stocks to Sell:
Triumph Financial (TFIN)
One-Month Return: -2.1%
Originally focused on traditional banking before pivoting to serve the transportation sector, Triumph Financial (NYSE: TFIN) provides specialized financial services to the trucking industry, including payments processing, factoring, banking, and data intelligence solutions.
Why Is TFIN Risky?
- Muted 1.8% annual net interest income growth over the last five years shows its demand lagged behind its banking peers
- Performance over the past five years shows its incremental sales were much less profitable, as its earnings per share fell by 22.2% annually
- Tier one capital ratio of 9.9% raises concerns about the firm’s ability to maintain adequate liquidity
Triumph Financial’s stock price of $75.80 implies a valuation ratio of 2x forward P/B. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why TFIN doesn’t pass our bar.
Columbia Financial (CLBK)
One-Month Return: +10.6%
Founded during the Roaring Twenties in 1926 and headquartered in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, Columbia Financial (NASDAQ: CLBK) operates federally chartered savings banks in New Jersey that offer traditional banking services including loans, deposits, and insurance products.
Why Do We Pass on CLBK?
- Net interest income stagnated over the last five years and signals the need for new growth strategies
- Weak unit economics are reflected in its net interest margin of 2.1%, one of the worst among bank companies
- Sales over the last five years were less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 3.8% annually while its revenue was flat
Columbia Financial is trading at $10.80 per share, or 1.9x forward P/B. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including CLBK in your portfolio.
One Stock to Watch:
United Rentals (URI)
One-Month Return: +8.1%
Owning the largest rental fleet in the world, United Rentals (NYSE: URI) provides equipment rental and related services to construction, industrial, and infrastructure industries.
Why Could URI Be a Winner?
- Annual revenue growth of 13.8% over the last five years was superb and indicates its market share increased during this cycle
- Healthy operating margin of 26.1% shows it’s a well-run company with efficient processes
- Share buybacks catapulted its annual earnings per share growth to 19.5%, which outperformed its revenue gains over the last five years
At $1,142 per share, United Rentals trades at 22.2x 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
ALSO WORTH WATCHING: Top 5 Momentum Stocks. The best time to own a great stock is when the market is finally noticing it. These aren’t just high-quality businesses. Something is happening with them right now. Elite fundamentals meet near-term momentum — both boxes checked at the same time.
Find out which stocks our AI platform is flagging this week. See this week’s Strong Momentum stocks — FREE. Get Our Strong Momentum Stocks for Free HERE.
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,460% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,552% between June 2020 and June 2025). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
