Generating cash is essential for any business, but not all cash-rich companies are great investments. Some produce plenty of cash but fail to allocate it effectively, leading to missed opportunities.
Cash flow is valuable, but it’s not everything - StockStory helps you identify the companies that truly put it to work. Keeping that in mind, here are three cash-producing companies that don’t make the cut and some better opportunities instead.
Workiva (WK)
Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 15.4%
Nicknamed "the Excel killer" by some finance professionals for its ability to eliminate spreadsheet chaos, Workiva (NYSE: WK) provides a cloud-based platform that enables organizations to streamline financial reporting, ESG, and compliance processes with connected data and automation.
Why Does WK Give Us Pause?
- Operating margin improvement of 2.8 percentage points over the last year demonstrates its ability to scale efficiently
- Free cash flow margin is forecasted to shrink by 2.4 percentage points in the coming year, suggesting the company will consume more capital to keep up with its competitors
Workiva is trading at $91.07 per share, or 5.4x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with WK, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).
Target Hospitality (TH)
Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 16.7%
Building mini-communities at places such as oil drilling sites, Target Hospitality (NASDAQ: TH) is a provider of specialty workforce lodging accommodations and services.
Why Do We Think Twice About TH?
- Sluggish trends in its utilized beds suggest customers aren’t adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped
- Sales are projected to tank by 12.5% over the next 12 months as its demand continues evaporating
- Shrinking returns on capital suggest that increasing competition is eating into the company’s profitability
At $6.29 per share, Target Hospitality trades at 2.3x forward price-to-sales. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why TH doesn’t pass our bar.
Huntington Ingalls (HII)
Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 4.7%
Building Nimitz-class aircraft carriers used in active service, Huntington Ingalls (NYSE: HII) develops marine vessels and their mission systems and maintenance services.
Why Should You Dump HII?
- Sales pipeline suggests its future revenue growth may not meet our standards as its average backlog growth of 4.9% for the past two years was weak
- Earnings per share fell by 1.1% annually over the last five years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable
- Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results
Huntington Ingalls’s stock price of $312.50 implies a valuation ratio of 19.4x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including HII in your portfolio.
Stocks We Like More
If your portfolio success hinges on just 4 stocks, your wealth is built on fragile ground. You have a small window to secure high-quality assets before the market widens and these prices disappear.
Don’t wait for the next volatility shock. Check out our Top 5 Strong Momentum 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-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% 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
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