The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is often seen as a benchmark for strong businesses, but that doesn’t mean every stock is worth owning. Some companies face significant challenges, whether it’s stagnating growth, heavy debt, or disruptive new competitors.

Some large-cap stocks are past their peak, and StockStory is here to help you separate the winners from the laggards. Keeping that in mind, here is one S&P 500 stock that is positioned to outperform and two that could be in trouble.

Two Industrials Stocks to Sell:

Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Market Cap: $99.5 billion

Responsible for the development of the first stealth bomber, Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) specializes in providing aerospace, defense, and security solutions for various industry applications.

Why Do We Steer Clear of NOC?

1. Core business is underperforming as its organic revenue has disappointed over the past two years, suggesting it might need acquisitions to stimulate growth
2. Expenses have increased as a percentage of revenue over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 5.1 percentage points
3. Earnings growth over the last five years fell short of the peer group average as its EPS only increased by 2.2% annually

Northrop Grumman is trading at $705.06 per share, or 25.4x forward P/E. If you’re considering NOC for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

D.R. Horton (DHI)

Market Cap: $48.17 billion

One of the largest homebuilding companies in the U.S., D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) builds a variety of new construction homes across multiple markets.

Why Should You Sell DHI?

1. Product roadmap and go-to-market strategy need to be reconsidered as its backlog has averaged 13.7% declines over the past two years
2. Earnings per share have dipped by 11% annually over the past two years, which is concerning because stock prices follow EPS over the long term
3. Waning returns on capital imply its previous profit engines are losing steam

At $165.98 per share, D.R. Horton trades at 15.8x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than DHI.

One Industrials Stock to Buy:

GE Aerospace (GE)

Market Cap: $343 billion

One of the original 12 companies on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, General Electric (NYSE: GE) is a multinational conglomerate providing technologies for various sectors including aviation, power, renewable energy, and healthcare.

Why Are We Bullish on GE?

1. Impressive 15.1% annual revenue growth over the last two years indicates it’s winning market share this cycle
2. Share buybacks catapulted its annual earnings per share growth to 50.9%, which outperformed its revenue gains over the last two years
3. Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends, and its growing cash flow gives it even more resources to deploy

GE Aerospace’s stock price of $326.50 implies a valuation ratio of 42.6x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Your portfolio can’t afford to be based on yesterday’s story. The risk in a handful of heavily crowded stocks is rising daily.

The names generating the next wave of massive growth are right here in our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. 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.