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 are two stocks with the fundamentals to back up their performance and one best left ignored.

One Stock to Sell:

Woodward (WWD)

One-Month Return: +2.5%

Initially designing controls for water wheels in the early 1900s, Woodward (NASDAQ: WWD) designs, services, and manufactures energy control products and optimization solutions.

Why Do We Think Twice About WWD?

1. Muted 4.9% annual revenue growth over the last five years shows its demand lagged behind its industrials peers
2. Earnings per share lagged its peers over the last five years as they only grew by 7.1% annually
3. 11.2 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

Woodward is trading at $259.75 per share, or 35.8x forward P/E. If you’re considering WWD for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Two Stocks to Watch:

Meta (META)

One-Month Return: +8.2%

Famously founded by Mark Zuckerberg in his Harvard dorm, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) operates a collection of the largest social networks in the world - Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, along with its metaverse focused Reality Labs.

Why Will META Outperform?

1. Customers are spending more money on its platform as its average revenue per user has increased by 14.5% annually over the last two years
2. Share buybacks catapulted its annual earnings per share growth to 31.8%, which outperformed its revenue gains over the last three years
3. Robust free cash flow margin of 29.2% gives it many options for capital deployment

At $777.52 per share, Meta trades at 16.6x forward EV/EBITDA. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Mirion (MIR)

One-Month Return: +1.1%

With its technology protecting workers in over 130 countries and equipment used in 80% of cancer centers worldwide, Mirion Technologies (NYSE: MIR) provides radiation detection, measurement, and monitoring solutions for medical, nuclear energy, defense, and scientific research applications.

Why Are We Positive On MIR?

1. Solid 8.2% annual revenue growth over the last four years indicates its offering’s solve complex business issues
2. Additional sales over the last two years increased its profitability as the 28.2% annual growth in its earnings per share outpaced its revenue
3. Free cash flow margin expanded by 3.7 percentage points over the last five years, providing additional flexibility for investments and share buybacks/dividends

Mirion’s stock price of $20.94 implies a valuation ratio of 40.5x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Donald Trump’s April 2025 "Liberation Day" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities.

The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don’t miss out on the recovery - check 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 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).

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-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.

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