1 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stock Worth Your Attention and 2 We Brush Off

1 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stock Worth Your Attention and 2 We Brush Off

Anthony Lee

Wed, February 18, 2026 at 1:33 PM GMT+9 4 min read

In this article:

•                                       StockStory Top Pick 
  

  PAY

  +1.60%

 CURV  

 -2.78%  

 

 

 GTM  

 +2.04%  

The stocks in this article have caught Wall Street’s attention in a big way, with price targets implying returns above 20%. But investors should take these forecasts with a grain of salt because analysts typically say nice things about companies so their firms can win business in other product lines like M&A advisory.

Luckily for you, we at StockStory have no conflicts of interest - our sole job is to help you find genuinely promising companies. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock where Wall Street’s excitement appears well-founded and two where analysts may be overlooking some important risks.

Two Stocks to Sell:

ZoomInfo (GTM)

Consensus Price Target: $9.29 (43.2% implied return)

Operating a platform it calls “RevOS” - short for Revenue Operating System - ZoomInfo (NASDAQ:GTM) provides sales, marketing, and recruiting teams with business intelligence and analytics to identify prospects and deliver targeted outreach.

Why Do We Think GTM Will Underperform?

Flat billings over the last year suggest it may need to improve its products, pricing, or go-to-market strategy to reinvigorate demand

Estimated sales for the next 12 months are flat and imply a softer demand environment

Capital intensity will likely increase as its free cash flow margin is anticipated to drop by 4.6 percentage points over the next year

ZoomInfo is trading at $6.49 per share, or 1.6x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with GTM, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Torrid (CURV)

Consensus Price Target: $1.48 (41% implied return)

Promoting a message of body positivity and inclusiveness, Torrid Holdings (NYSE:CURV) is a plus-size women’s apparel and accessories retailer.

Why Are We Out on CURV?

Lagging same-store sales over the past two years suggest it might have to change its pricing and marketing strategy to stimulate demand

Performance over the past three years shows each sale was less profitable as its earnings per share dropped by 26.3% annually, worse than its revenue

5× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio shows it’s overleveraged and increases the probability of shareholder dilution if things turn unexpectedly

At $1.05 per share, Torrid trades at 7.7x forward EV-to-EBITDA. If you’re considering CURV for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

One Stock to Buy:

Paymentus (PAY)

Consensus Price Target: $39.43 (68.2% implied return)

Founded in 2004 to simplify the complex world of bill payments, Paymentus (NYSE:PAY) provides a cloud-based platform that helps utilities, municipalities, and service providers automate billing and payment processes.

La historia continúa  

Why Do We Love PAY?

Market share has increased this cycle as its 39% annual revenue growth over the last two years was exceptional

Performance over the past two years shows its incremental sales were extremely profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 86.3% outpaced its revenue gains

Paymentus’s stock price of $23.45 implies a valuation ratio of 32.9x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

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 6 Stocks for this week. 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 Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.

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