What are the over valued stocks I can short sell
9/15/2025 11:44am
**Bottom Line 🏹**
Below is a fresh “watch list” of large-cap U.S. stocks that screen as richly valued on both earnings (P/E) **and** sales (P/S) multiples—classic ingredients for a potential short candidate. While none of these names *has* to fall, their lofty valuations leave little margin for error, so even modest disappointments can trigger sharp drawdowns.
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### 10 “Stretched” Large-Caps to Monitor for Short Set-ups
(sorted by the highest trailing P/E)
| Rank | Ticker | Company | P/E (TTM) | P/S (TTM) | YoY Revenue Δ ($) | FCF ÷ Mkt-Cap | Quick Rationale |
|:--:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | **BXP** | Boston Properties | 3,248× | n/a | $17.98 M | 1.3 % | Office-REIT under secular pressure; earnings distortion inflates P/E |
| 2 | **UWMC** | UWM Holdings | 924× | 5.07× | $349 M | 16.8 % | Mortgage originator facing rate headwinds, razor-thin margins |
| 3 | **KTOS** | Kratos Defense | 806× | 8.93× | $51 M | –4.6 % | Small-cap defense; valuation rich vs. lumpy cash flow |
| 4 | **TWLO** | Twilio | 776× | 3.27× | $146 M | 3.7 % | Growth decelerating; activist pressure but dilution risk persists |
| 5 | **IRM** | Iron Mountain | 691× | 4.32× | $178 M | –9.8 % | High leverage & data-center pivot priced for perfection |
| 6 | **BE** | Bloom Energy | 665× | 10.82× | $65 M | –1.0 % | Negative FCF, hydrogen hype; multiple vulnerable |
| 7 | **KEY** | KeyCorp | 633× | n/a | $317 M | 3.9 % | Regional bank with NIM pressure, credit-cycle risk |
| 8 | **PLTR** | Palantir | 533× | 108× | $326 M | –0.3 % | AI narrative dominates, but growth < 20 %, valuation sky-high |
| 9 | **AFRM** | Affirm | 518× | 8.39× | $275 M | –1.4 % | Buy-now-pay-later name, credit losses a wild card |
| 10 | **LITE** | Lumentum | 440× | 6.93× | $35 M | –0.07 % | Optical-components laggard, demand softness |
Key observations
1. **Extreme Multiples:** All sport trailing P/E > 440×—well above the 25–30× S&P 500 norm.
2. **Thin (or Negative) Cash Flow:** Over half generate negligible free cash vs. market cap, limiting downside buffers.
3. **Catalyst Sensitivity:** Earnings misses, guide-downs or rate shocks can unwind the premium quickly.
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### How to Approach a Short
1. **Technical Confirmation**
• Look for lower-high/lower-low patterns or failed breakouts near resistance.
• Pair with rising volume on down days to confirm distribution.
2. **Risk Controls**
• Use **hard stops**—nothing worse than an unlimited-loss short.
• Size positions modestly (e.g., 1–2 % of portfolio each).
• Consider put options to cap risk if borrow fees are steep.
3. **Event Calendar**
• Earnings dates, Fed meetings, and macro prints (CPI, jobs) can spur violent squeezes—stay nimble.
4. **Borrow Cost & Liquidity**
• Check short-interest & rebate rates; high SI can fuel squeezes.
• Ensure daily turnover comfortably exceeds your trade size.
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### Final Thought 💭
Shorting richly valued names can be rewarding, but it’s a game of timing as much as valuation. Keep your thesis tight, your stops tighter, and always ask: *“What could make the market keep loving this stock longer than I can stay short?”* 😊
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**Curious Corner:** Speaking of risk—how comfortable are you with the potential volatility (and borrow fees) that often come with short positions? Your answer helps me tailor future screens and hedging ideas just for you!
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: High-valuation screen of U.S. stocks with market cap > $10 B and P/E > 60 returned 83–107 names, including AVGO, TSLA, PLTR, etc. [ID 1]
: Subset ranked by highest P/E from that universe, along with additional fundamentals. [ID 3]