The Future For 2025’s Worst Performers
The stock market was up about 16% in 2025.
But not every company performed well.
2025 was a terrible year for these stocks.
Will 2026 be any better, or should we look elsewhere?
Trade Desk Inc (ticker: TTD), a digital ad software company, was the worst performer in the S&P 500 in 2025.
Trade Desk’s stock price was down over 67% for the year.
Ouch!
Two days in particular were awful for Trade Desk.
In February, Trade Desk missed earnings expectations for the first time in almost 10 years.
In August, Trade Desk released earnings again, but management guidance came in weak and the stock crashed some more.
Trade Desk looks solid.
Revenue is growing 20% per year and its Return on Equity (ROE) of 16% is one of the highest in the Diversified Media industry.
However, Amazon is building its own digital ad portal rivaling Trade Desk.
Plus, despite its recent stock price drop, Trade Desk’s price-to-earnings ratio of 43x is more than double the industry average.
I’d sit out Trade Desk and put your money elsewhere.
Fiserv (ticker: FISV), a software company providing transaction support for financial institutions, performed a little better than Trade Desk.
But the stock still had a terrible 2025 and fell over 65%.
In October, Fiserv’s stock price fell over 40% following a terrible earnings report.
Company management said Fiserv’s growth was not sustainable and would start to decline.
But the stock drop is an overreaction.
Fiserv is incredibly profitable with a net margin of 17%.
And Fiserv’s current price-to-earnings ratio of 10.4x is extremely low.
Company management is also very excited about the stock.
Since Fiserv’s stock price crashed in October, company insiders have bought more than 35,000 shares of the stock.
If people running the company are buying the stock, then we should consider buying some as well.
Last up is Deckers (ticker: DECK), owner of popular footwear brands Ugg and Hoka.
Deckers stock price fell almost 50% in 2025.
Unlike Trade Desk and Fiserv, Deckers’ damage happened at the beginning of the year.
The stock price dropped because earnings came in a little weak.
Deckers’ stock price almost doubled in 2024, so a pullback shouldn’t have been surprising.
But 2026 is shaping up to be much better.
Deckers’ profit margin of 19% is one of the highest in the Apparel Manufacturing industry.
And while its price-to-earnings of 15.3x is right around its peers, it’s significantly lower than Deckers’ historical average.
Plus, Wall Street expects earnings to grow by 10% each year over the next few years.
Now is a great time to buy some shares in Deckers before the stock rebounds from a rough 2025.
What other stocks are you looking at right now?
Coach Parker
Category: Stocks
