The past year hasn't been kind to the stocks featured in this article. Each has tumbled to their lowest points in 12 months, leaving investors to decide whether they're witnessing fire sales or falling knives.

While market timing can be an extremely profitable strategy, it has burned many investors and requires rigorous analysis - something we specialize in at StockStory. That said, here are three stocks facing legitimate challenges and some alternatives worth exploring instead.

Getty Images (GETY)

One-Month Return: -41.1%

With a vast library of over 562 million visual assets documenting everything from breaking news to iconic historical moments, Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a global visual content marketplace that licenses photos, videos, illustrations, and music to businesses, media outlets, and creative professionals.

Why Does GETY Fall Short?

1. Muted 1.3% annual revenue growth over the last two years shows its demand lagged behind its business services peers
2. 11.2 percentage point decline in its free cash flow margin over the last five years reflects the company’s increased investments to defend its market position
3. Diminishing returns on capital suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up

Getty Images’s stock price of $0.78 implies a valuation ratio of 11.9x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with GETY, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Kemper (KMPR)

One-Month Return: -19%

Originally known as Unitrin until rebranding in 2011, Kemper (NYSE: KMPR) is an insurance holding company that provides automobile, homeowners, life, and other insurance products to individuals and businesses across the United States.

Why Are We Out on KMPR?

1. Insurance policy sales contracted this cycle as net premiums earned decreased by 1.2% annually over the last five years
2. Performance over the past five years shows each sale was less profitable as its earnings per share dropped by 11.7% annually, worse than its revenue
3. Products and services are facing significant credit quality challenges during this cycle as book value per share has declined by 8.1% annually over the last five years

At $31.58 per share, Kemper trades at 0.7x forward P/B. If you’re considering KMPR for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Navient (NAVI)

One-Month Return: -11.9%

Spun off from Sallie Mae in 2014 to handle the company's loan servicing and collection operations, Navient (NASDAQ: NAVI) provides education loan servicing and business processing solutions that help manage federal student loans, private education loans, and government services.

Why Should You Dump NAVI?

1. Annual sales declines of 19.2% for the past five years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market during this cycle
2. Falling earnings per share over the last five years has some investors worried as stock prices ultimately follow EPS over the long term
3. Debt-to-equity ratio of 18.8× shows the firm has taken on excessive debt, leaving little room for error

Navient is trading at $8.79 per share, or 12.7x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why NAVI doesn’t pass our bar.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

ALSO WORTH WATCHING: Top 5 Momentum Stocks. The best time to own a great stock is when the market is finally noticing it. These aren't just high-quality businesses. Something is happening with them right now. Elite fundamentals meeting near-term momentum — both boxes checked at the same time.

Find out which stocks our AI platform is flagging this week. See this week's Strong Momentum stocks — FREE. Get Our Strong Momentum Stocks for Free HERE.

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 Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.