Consumer discretionary businesses are levered to the highs and lows of economic cycles. This volatility leads to big swings in stock prices that have worked in their favor recently - over the past six months, the industry has returned 23.1% and beat the S&P 500 by 7.2 percentage points.
Regardless of these results, investors should tread carefully as many companies in this space are unpredictable because they lack recurring revenue business models. Keeping that in mind, here are three consumer stocks we’re swiping left on.
Sirius XM (SIRI)
Market Cap: $7.84 billion
Known for its commercial-free music channels, Sirius XM (NASDAQ: SIRI) is a broadcasting company that provides satellite radio and online radio services across North America.
Why Should You Dump SIRI?
- Performance surrounding its core subscribers has lagged its peers
- Incremental sales over the last five years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 36.9% annually while its revenue grew
- Diminishing returns on capital suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up
At $23.28 per share, Sirius XM trades at 7.9x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why SIRI doesn’t pass our bar.
Accel Entertainment (ACEL)
Market Cap: $938.2 million
Established in Illinois, Accel Entertainment (NYSE: ACEL) is a provider of electronic gaming machines and interactive amusement terminals to bars and entertainment venues.
Why Are We Wary of ACEL?
- Demand for its offerings was relatively low as its number of video gaming terminals sold has underwhelmed
- Demand will likely be soft over the next 12 months as Wall Street’s estimates imply tepid growth of 6.4%
- Lacking free cash flow generation means it has few chances to reinvest for growth, repurchase shares, or distribute capital
Accel Entertainment is trading at $11.13 per share, or 11.7x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with ACEL, check out our full research report (it’s free).
Clarus (CLAR)
Market Cap: $146.7 million
Initially a financial services business, Clarus (NASDAQ: CLAR) designs, manufactures, and distributes outdoor equipment and lifestyle products.
Why Are We Out on CLAR?
- Annual sales declines of 10.6% for the past two years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market
- Cash burn makes us question whether it can achieve sustainable long-term growth
- Waning returns on capital from an already weak starting point displays the inefficacy of management’s past and current investment decisions
Clarus’s stock price of $3.90 implies a valuation ratio of 23.4x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including CLAR in your portfolio.
Stocks We Like More
Donald Trump’s April 2025 "Liberation Day" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities.
The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don’t miss out on the recovery - check out 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 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 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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