Wall Street has issued downbeat forecasts for the stocks in this article. These predictions are rare - financial institutions typically hesitate to say bad things about a company because it can jeopardize their other revenue-generating business lines like 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:

Carlisle (CSL)

Consensus Price Target: $436.67 (7.6% implied return)

Originally founded as Carlisle Tire and Rubber Company, Carlisle Companies (NYSE: CSL) is a multi-industry product manufacturer focusing on construction materials and weatherproofing technologies.

Why Do We Think Twice About CSL?

1. Organic sales performance over the past two years indicates the company may need to make strategic adjustments or rely on M&A to catalyze faster growth
2. Projected sales growth of 5.1% for the next 12 months suggests sluggish demand
3. Earnings per share lagged its peers over the last two years as they only grew by 4.8% annually

Carlisle is trading at $405.98 per share, or 17.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than CSL.

International Paper (IP)

Consensus Price Target: $52.88 (4.1% implied return)

Established in 1898, International Paper (NYSE: IP) produces containerboard, pulp, paper, and materials used in packaging and printing applications.

Why Do We Pass on IP?

1. Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 2.1% annually over the last five years
2. 11.5 percentage point decline in its free cash flow margin over the last five years reflects the company’s increased investments to defend its market position
3. Diminishing returns on capital from an already low starting point show that neither management’s prior nor current bets are going as planned

International Paper’s stock price of $50.79 implies a valuation ratio of 7.6x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why IP doesn’t pass our bar.

One Stock to Watch:

Yelp (YELP)

Consensus Price Target: $38.57 (0% implied return)

Founded by PayPal alumni Jeremy Stoppelman and Russel Simmons, Yelp (NYSE: YELP) is an online platform that helps people discover local businesses through crowd-sourced reviews.

Why Could YELP Be a Winner?

1. Platform is difficult to replicate at scale and leads to a best-in-class gross margin of 91.2%
2. Healthy EBITDA margin of 25.7% shows it’s a well-run company with efficient processes, and its profits increased over the last few years as it scaled
3. Strong free cash flow margin of 19.6% enables it to reinvest or return capital consistently, and its growing cash flow gives it even more resources to deploy

At $38.55 per share, Yelp trades at 7.2x forward EV/EBITDA. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025.

While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we’re homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver’s seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years.

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.