Market swings can be tough to stomach, and volatile stocks often experience exaggerated moves in both directions. While many thrive during risk-on environments, many also struggle to maintain investor confidence when the ride gets bumpy.

At StockStory, our job is to help you avoid costly mistakes and stay on the right side of the trade. Keeping that in mind, here is one volatile stock that could reward patient investors and two best left to the gamblers.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Lindblad Expeditions (LIND)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 2.80

Founded by explorer Sven-Olof Lindblad in 1979, Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ:LIND) offers cruising experiences to remote destinations in partnership with National Geographic.

Why Do We Steer Clear of LIND?

1. Lackluster 13.4% annual revenue growth over the last five years indicates the company is losing ground to competitors
2. Incremental sales over the last five years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 73% annually while its revenue grew
3. Projected 3.8 percentage point decline in its free cash flow margin next year reflects the company’s plans to increase its investments to defend its market position

Lindblad Expeditions is trading at $8.96 per share, or 4.4x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why LIND doesn’t pass our bar.

Limbach (LMB)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 2.33

Established in 1901, Limbach (NASDAQ: LMB) provides integrated building systems solutions, including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services.

Why Are We Wary of LMB?

1. Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 1.3% annually over the last five years
2. High input costs result in an inferior gross margin of 20.3% that must be offset through higher volumes
3. Poor expense management has led to an operating margin of 4.6% that is below the industry average

At $99 per share, Limbach trades at 31.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than LMB.

One Stock to Buy:

Nvidia (NVDA)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 2.93

Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang and two former Sun Microsystems engineers, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is a leading fabless designer of chips used in gaming, PCs, data centers, automotive, and a variety of end markets.

Why Will NVDA Beat the Market?

1. Market share has increased this cycle as its 120% annual revenue growth over the last two years was exceptional
2. Additional sales over the last five years increased its profitability as the 83.3% annual growth in its earnings per share outpaced its revenue
3. Strong free cash flow margin of 45.9% enables it to reinvest or return capital consistently, and its rising cash conversion increases its margin of safety

Nvidia’s stock price of $111.10 implies a valuation ratio of 25.5x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Market indices reached historic highs following Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November 2024, but the outlook for 2025 is clouded by new trade policies that could impact business confidence and growth.

While this has caused many investors to adopt a "fearful" wait-and-see approach, we’re leaning into our best ideas that can grow regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Take advantage of Mr. Market by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years.

Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Broadcom (+634% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like Axon (+711% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.