Low-volatility stocks may offer stability, but that often comes at the cost of slower growth and the upside potential of more dynamic companies.
Finding the right balance between safety and returns isn’t easy, which is why StockStory is here to help. Keeping that in mind, here is one low-volatility stock that could offer consistent gains and two stuck in limbo.
Two Stocks to Sell:
Casella Waste Systems (CWST)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.06
Starting with the founder picking up garbage with a pickup truck he purchased using savings from high school, Casella (NASDAQ: CWST) offers waste management services for businesses, residents, and the government.
Why Does CWST Worry Us?
- 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
- Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 5 percentage points
- Underwhelming 6% return on capital reflects management’s difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities, and its shrinking returns suggest its past profit sources are losing steam
Casella Waste Systems’s stock price of $98.60 implies a valuation ratio of 82.4x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including CWST in your portfolio.
Progyny (PGNY)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.57
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 Does PGNY Give Us Pause?
- Modest revenue base of $1.27 billion gives it less fixed cost leverage and fewer distribution channels than larger companies
- Underwhelming 2.1% return on capital reflects management’s difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities
At $26.62 per share, Progyny trades at 13.9x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with PGNY, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).
One Stock to Watch:
Boston Scientific (BSX)
Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.80
Founded in 1979 with a mission to advance less-invasive medicine, Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) develops and manufactures medical devices used in minimally invasive procedures across cardiovascular, urological, neurological, and gastrointestinal specialties.
Why Is BSX on Our Radar?
- Core business can prosper without any help from acquisitions as its organic revenue growth averaged 16.2% over the past two years
- Incremental sales over the last five years have been highly profitable as its earnings per share increased by 19.9% annually, topping its revenue gains
- Free cash flow margin expanded by 5.5 percentage points over the last five years, providing additional flexibility for investments and share buybacks/dividends
Boston Scientific is trading at $95.66 per share, or 28.9x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
The market’s up big this year - but there’s a catch. Just 4 stocks account for half the S&P 500’s entire gain. That kind of concentration makes investors nervous, and for good reason. While everyone piles into the same crowded names, smart investors are hunting quality where no one’s looking - and paying a fraction of the price. Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged 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 for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
