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20 Stocks to Sell Now
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Today, we’re inviting you to take a free look at MarketBeat’s proprietary, up-to-the-minute list of 20 stocks that Wall Street’s top-rated analysts hate.
These aren’t mild downgrades or lukewarm opinions.
These are true Strong Sell stocks.
Some of them may look fine on the surface. A few even have what appear to be solid fundamentals. But when analysts issue a rare Sell rating, it’s usually because something beneath the surface is deeply wrong.
Sell-side analysts may not nail every Buy call… but when they raise red flags, they’re almost always worth listening to.
If any of these stocks are lurking around in your portfolio, you may seriously want to consider dumping them.
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Matthew Paulson
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This Week’s Featured Story
Kroger’s New CEO: A Turnaround Play in Aisle 4?
Reported by Jeffrey Neal Johnson. First Published: 2/13/2026.
Article Highlights
- Greg Foran brings a proven track record of retail turnarounds to lead the company into a new era of operational efficiency and better store standards.
- Management has cleared the balance sheet to focus on a hybrid e-commerce model that utilizes existing stores to drive faster delivery and profitability.
- Shareholders can look forward to a disciplined capital allocation strategy that prioritizes consistent dividend payments and an active share repurchase program.
The retail grocery sector woke up to a new reality this week. On Feb. 9, 2026, Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) announced the immediate appointment of Greg Foran as its new chief executive officer, a high-profile move that instantly reshuffled investor expectations. The market reaction was swift and decisive: shares of the Cincinnati-based retailer jumped roughly 7–8%, trading in the $70–$72 range before pulling back below $70.
For the past two years Kroger had been in limbo, awaiting regulatory approval for a proposed merger with Albertsons. When that deal was terminated in December 2024, the company was left with a strategic void. The hiring of Foran is the board’s answer to that void — a signal that Kroger is pivoting from growth by acquisition to a renewed focus on operational excellence.
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Investors are now looking at a standalone Kroger, with a market capitalization of roughly $44 billion, preparing to go toe-to-toe with Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT), a competitor that recently surpassed $1 trillion in market capitalization.
While the size gap is daunting, the arrival of a battle-tested leader suggests Kroger is ready to fight for every basis point of market share.
Why Wall Street Loves the New Boss
Greg Foran isn’t just another retail executive; in the world of low-margin retail he’s a heavyweight. His resume reads like a playbook for operational turnaround — someone deeply focused on the day-to-day mechanics of running stores efficiently.
- The Walmart turnaround: From 2014 to 2019, Foran served as CEO of Walmart U.S. He is widely credited with the “Clean Aisle” initiative, which revitalized the shopping experience by emphasizing cleaner floors, better lighting, and higher standards for fresh produce.
- Global experience: Most recently, he led Air New Zealand, steering a major airline through a complex global travel environment.
Wall Street’s enthusiasm stems from the fact that Kroger’s current problems are precisely what Foran fixed at Walmart. Kroger faces pressure from cost-conscious consumers and needs to improve store standards to prevent shoppers from defecting to discounters. Analysts at Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Kroger stock to $80, citing the instant credibility Foran brings. The thesis is straightforward: if he could fix Walmart’s U.S. operations, he could help narrow the valuation gap between Kroger and its peers.
Clearing the Decks for a Digital Profit
Before the new CEO can build, the company had to clean up the balance sheet. In the third quarter of fiscal 2025, Kroger took a material non-cash impairment charge of $2.6 billion. While a loss of this magnitude would normally alarm investors, the market largely interpreted it as a necessary clearing of the decks.
The charge was primarily related to the closure of three automated fulfillment centers (often called sheds) and the cancellation of plans for a fourth. Those robot-filled warehouses were part of an earlier strategy to compete with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), but they were costly to build and slow to deliver returns. By writing these assets down now, Kroger hands Foran a cleaner balance sheet, free of underperforming weight.
The company is replacing those expensive warehouses with a flexible hybrid model. This strategy relies on:
- Store-based fulfillment: Using Kroger’s existing network of 2,700+ stores to pack and ship orders, significantly lowering capital expenditures.
- Strategic partnerships: Expanding relationships with Uber Eats, DoorDash (NASDAQ: DASH), and Instacart to handle the last mile of delivery.
- Speed and coverage: Offering delivery in as little as 30 minutes — a speed centralized warehouses struggle to match.
The financial implications are meaningful. Management projects that moving away from dedicated sheds will improve e-commerceprofitability by roughly $400 million in 2026, turning the digital segment from a cash burn into a potential profit center.
The Safety Net for Investors
Beyond the headline-grabbing leadership change, the fundamental case for Kroger stock rests on valuation and a disciplined commitment to returning cash to shareholders.
The valuation gap
Kroger currently trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of about 15.8x — a notable discount to several of Kroger’s competitors, which command higher multiples. If Foran can lift operating margins even modestly, the stock has room for multiple expansion, meaning price appreciation could follow without a major earnings surprise.
The dividend opportunity
For income investors, timing matters. Kroger pays a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, yielding roughly 2% annually.
- Actionable date: The stock goes ex-dividend on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.
- The rule: To receive the payment, an investor must own the stock before the market opens on that Friday.
Financial resilience
Kroger has also been aggressive with share buybacks, recently completing a $5 billion accelerated share repurchase program. That reduces the number of shares outstanding, increasing earnings per share (EPS) and supporting the stock price.
There are headwinds — notably the Inflation Reduction Act’s potential impact on pharmacy pricing — but Kroger expects those effects to be largely earnings-neutral because of manufacturer rebates. And while Albertsons is pursuing a termination fee related to the failed merger, many view that as a legacy legal matter that shouldn’t materially affect daily operations or cash flow.
A Clean Slate and a Bright Future
The failed merger is now in the rearview mirror. Kroger has pivoted from a period of uncertainty to a clear, execution-focused strategy. The combination of a world-class operator in Greg Foran, a balance sheet scrubbed of underperforming assets, and disciplined capital allocation creates a compelling setup.
The risk-reward profile has shifted toward the bulls: the bad news (the merger failure and asset write-downs) is largely priced in, while the good news (Foran’s arrival and the prospect of digital profitability) is just beginning to unfold. Investors will get their first detailed look at the new CEO’s long-term roadmap during the earnings call on March 5, 2026. Until then, the market appears ready to bet on the new captain.
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