1 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stock with Impressive Fundamentals and 2 We Question – StockStory

April 16, 2026
Wall Street has set ambitious price targets for the stocks in this article. While this suggests attractive upside potential, it’s important to remain skeptical because analysts face institutional pressures that can sometimes lead to overly optimistic forecasts.
At StockStory, we look beyond the headlines with our independent analysis to determine whether these bullish calls are justified. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock where Wall Street’s excitement appears well-founded and two where consensus estimates seem disconnected from reality.
Consensus Price Target: $85.13 (23.8% implied return)
Standing out from typical processed pet foods, Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) is a pet food company whose product portfolio includes natural meals and treats for dogs and cats.
Why Is FRPT Not Exciting?
Freshpet’s stock price of $68.74 implies a valuation ratio of 50.9x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why FRPT doesn’t pass our bar.
Consensus Price Target: $44.50 (30% implied return)
The prized possession of every mancave, La-Z-Boy (NYSE:LZB) is a furniture company specializing in recliners, sofas, and seats.
Why Should You Dump LZB?
La-Z-Boy is trading at $34.22 per share, or 12.4x forward P/E. If you’re considering LZB for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.
Consensus Price Target: $147.71 (23.4% implied return)
With roots in the leveraged finance group of Apollo Management, Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) is an alternative investment firm that manages private equity, credit, real estate, and infrastructure assets for institutional and high-net-worth clients.
Why Is ARES a Good Business?
At $119.72 per share, Ares trades at 18.2x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.
ONE MORE THING: Top 5 Growth Stocks. The biggest stock winners almost always had one thing in common before they ran. Revenue growing like crazy. Meta. CrowdStrike. Broadcom. Our AI flagged all three. They returned 315%, 314%, and 455%, respectively.
Find out which 5 stocks it’s flagging for this month — FREE. Get Our Top 5 Growth 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 Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
©2026 StockStory
Data sources: actuals and consensus estimates from StockStory, S&P Global Market Intelligence, and Visible Alpha. Market data from Massive.
Provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific individual. Information on our investment framework and performance methodology is available here.
Copyright 2026, S&P Global Market Intelligence (and its affiliates as applicable). All rights reserved.

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