Large-cap stocks are known for their staying power and ability to weather market storms better than smaller competitors. However, their sheer size makes it more challenging to maintain high growth rates as they’ve already captured significant portions of their markets.
These trade-offs can cause headaches for even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you find high-quality companies that can grow their earnings no matter what. Keeping that in mind, here are two large-cap stocks that still have big upside potential and one that could be stalling.
One Large-Cap Stock to Sell:
Emerson Electric (EMR)
Market Cap: $81.13 billion
Founded in 1890, Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) is a multinational technology and engineering company providing solutions in the industrial, commercial, and residential markets.
Why Do We Think Twice About EMR?
- Products and services are facing end-market challenges during this cycle, as seen in its flat sales over the last five years
- Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 4.1 percentage points
- Waning returns on capital imply its previous profit engines are losing steam
Emerson Electric’s stock price of $144 implies a valuation ratio of 23.3x forward P/E. If you’re considering EMR for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.
Two Large-Cap Stocks to Watch:
Micron (MU)
Market Cap: $128 billion
Founded in the basement of a Boise, Idaho dental office in 1978, Micron (NYSE:MU) is a leading provider of memory chips used in thousands of devices across mobile, data centers, industrial, consumer, and automotive markets.
Why Does MU Stand Out?
- Annual revenue growth of 36.4% over the last two years was superb and indicates its market share increased during this cycle
- Revenue outlook for the upcoming 12 months is outstanding and shows it’s on track to gain market share
- Performance over the past five years shows its incremental sales were more profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 22.8% outpaced its revenue gains
At $114.15 per share, Micron trades at 11.4x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.
Super Micro (SMCI)
Market Cap: $30.9 billion
Founded in Silicon Valley in 1993 and known for its modular "building block" approach to server design, Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) designs and manufactures high-performance, energy-efficient server and storage systems for data centers, cloud computing, AI, and edge computing applications.
Why Will SMCI Beat the Market?
- Impressive 81.2% annual revenue growth over the last two years indicates it’s winning market share this cycle
- Earnings per share grew by 23.2% annually over the last five years and trumped its peers
- Rising returns on capital show management is finding more attractive investment opportunities
Super Micro is trading at $51.85 per share, or 16.8x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
When Trump unveiled his aggressive tariff plan in April 2024, markets tanked as investors feared a full-blown trade war. But those who panicked and sold missed the subsequent rebound that’s already erased most losses.
Don’t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at 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 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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