The stocks in this article are all trading near their 52-week highs. This strength often reflects positive developments such as new product launches, favorable industry trends, or improved financial performance.

But not every company with momentum is a long-term winner, and plenty of investors have lost money betting on short-term fads. On that note, here are two stocks with the fundamentals to back up their performance and one not so much.

One Stock to Sell:

Plexus (PLXS)

One-Month Return: -1.2%

With over 20,000 team members across 26 global facilities, Plexus (NASDAQ: PLXS) designs, manufactures, and services complex electronic products for companies in aerospace/defense, healthcare, and industrial sectors.

Why Are We Cautious About PLXS?

1. Flat sales over the last two years suggest it must find different ways to grow during this cycle
2. Low free cash flow margin of 2.4% for the last five years gives it little breathing room, constraining its ability to self-fund growth or return capital to shareholders
3. Waning returns on capital imply its previous profit engines are losing steam

Plexus’s stock price of $192.77 implies a valuation ratio of 25.1x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than PLXS.

Two Stocks to Buy:

CLEAR Secure (YOU)

One-Month Return: +2.1%

Recognized by its signature blue lanes and biometric pods at airport checkpoints across America, CLEAR Secure (NYSE: YOU) provides biometric identity verification technology that allows subscribers to bypass regular security lines at airports and access secure experiences at various venues.

Why Should You Buy YOU?

1. Market share has increased as its 21.2% annual revenue growth over the last two years was exceptional
2. Software platform has product-market fit given the rapid recovery of its customer acquisition costs
3. Strong free cash flow margin of 38.1% enables it to reinvest or return capital consistently

At $49.04 per share, CLEAR Secure trades at 4.5x forward price-to-sales. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Core Natural Resources (CNR)

One-Month Return: +25.9%

Tracing its origins to 1864 and operating some mines southwest of Pittsburgh, Core Natural Resources (NYSE: CNR) mines and exports metallurgical coal used in steelmaking and thermal coal for power generation.

Why Do We Love CNR?

1. Annual revenue growth of 15.1% over the last nine years was superb and indicates its market share increased during this cycle
2. Revenue base of $4.16 billion gives it economies of scale and some negotiating power with suppliers
3. CNR is a free cash flow machine with the flexibility to invest in growth initiatives or return capital to shareholders

Core Natural Resources is trading at $109.50 per share, or 49.9x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

WHILE YOU’RE HERE: Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. The best stocks don't just beat the market once. They do it again. And again. Robust revenue growth, rising free cash flow, returns on capital that leave their competition in the dust. The market has already rewarded these businesses.

But our AI platform says the party isn't over. Find out which 9 stocks made the cut this week — FREE. Get Our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks for Free HERE.

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 Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.