Even if a company is profitable, it doesn’t always mean it’s a great investment. Some struggle to maintain growth, face looming threats, or fail to reinvest wisely, limiting their future potential.

Profits are valuable, but they’re not everything. At StockStory, we help you identify the companies that have real staying power. Keeping that in mind, here are three profitable companies to steer clear of and a few better alternatives.

Appian (APPN)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 1.3%

Powering billions of transactions daily since its founding in 1999, Appian (NASDAQ: APPN) provides a low-code platform that helps businesses automate complex processes and operationalize artificial intelligence without extensive programming knowledge.

Why Is APPN Not Exciting?

1. Estimated sales growth of 12.2% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its two-year trend
2. Customer acquisition costs take a while to recoup, making it difficult to justify sales and marketing investments that could increase revenue
3. Operating profits increased over the last year as the company gained some leverage on its fixed costs and became more efficient

At $37.20 per share, Appian trades at 3x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with APPN, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Doximity (DOCS)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 29.6%

With over 80% of U.S. physicians as members of its digital community, Doximity (NYSE: DOCS) operates a digital platform that enables physicians and other healthcare professionals to collaborate, stay current with medical news, manage their careers, and conduct virtual patient visits.

Why Are We Hesitant About DOCS?

1. Average billings growth of 7.9% over the last year was subpar, suggesting it struggled to push its software and might have to lower prices to stimulate demand
2. Estimated sales growth of 4.8% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its two-year trend
3. Costs have risen faster than its revenue over the last year, causing its operating margin to decline by 10.5 percentage points

Doximity’s stock price of $26.74 implies a valuation ratio of 7.4x forward price-to-sales. If you’re considering DOCS for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Progyny (PGNY)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 8.6%

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 Are We Wary of PGNY?

1. Underwhelming unit sales over the past two years indicate demand is soft and that the company may need to revise its strategy
2. Subscale operations are evident in its revenue base of $1.31 billion, meaning it has fewer distribution channels than its larger rivals
3. Below-average returns on capital indicate management struggled to find compelling investment opportunities

Progyny is trading at $26.04 per share, or 12x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including PGNY in your portfolio.

Stocks We Like More

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