Dear Reader,
WSJ says, "It's the $64 trillion question—will there be a stock market crash soon?" …
Weiss Ratings' research shows the first half of 2026 could be very tough for not all, but certain stocks...
Specifically, a radical shift is about to hit the market …
And it could send some of America's most popular stocks crashing down.
We've identified five stocks you should absolutely avoid as this event plays out …
You'll want to see this list …
And make sure you don't own any of these stocks before the market opens tomorrow …
Because if you hold on to them — it could mean financial ruin.
To find out more about this incoming market shift …
Including the list of five stocks you must absolutely avoid …
Click here now — before it's too late.
Sincerely,
Eliza Lasky,
Weiss Advocate
Despite Another Earnings Miss, Realty Income's Dividend Is Safe
Author: Jordan Chussler. First Published: 2/25/2026.
With the Federal Reserve's last interest rate cut in December 2025, the central bank's benchmark effective federal funds rate sits at just 3.64%. In turn, yields on fixed income products have fallen to the point that, in many cases, income investors are being pushed into equities to fill the void.
Today's best rates on CDs, for instance, are hovering around 4%, while only longer-dated Treasury notes and bonds are currently offering coupon rates above 4%.
Some corners of the equity markets are already providing better yields. Yardeni Research data indicates that dividends from the real estate sector average about 5%—the highest of any sector—followed by utilities and energy at roughly 3.9% and 3.7%, respectively.
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Key Points
- With fixed income yields dipping under 4%, investors should consider the real estate sector and its average 5% yields.
- Despite missing earnings expectations in 21 of the last 22 quarters, Realty Income remains fundamentally stable due to a 99% occupancy rate and a portfolio focused on recession-resilient, non-discretionary retail.
- The Dividend Aristocrat has increased its payout for 32 years, but its dividend growth has slowed to a 1.08% five-year average.
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For one stock in particular, the dividend has become its calling card. But after yet another earnings disappointment on Tuesday, Feb. 24, there are reasons for shareholders to proceed with caution.
Why the Monthly Dividend Company's Subpar Earnings Aren't Surprising
Among yield-focused investors, Realty Income (NYSE: O) is a household name. The real estate investment trust (REIT) has built a long streak, raising its dividend for 113 consecutive quarters.
As a result, O shares are a staple in dividend portfolios; the company bills itself as The Monthly Dividend Company because it pays monthly.
But after Realty Income's latest earnings miss—its 21st miss across the past 22 quarters—income investors shouldn't panic. When the REIT reported full-year and Q4 FY2025 financials on Tuesday, it announced earnings per share (EPS) of $0.32, well below analyst expectations of $1.08 (a miss of $0.76). The company beat on revenue with $1.4 billion, slightly above analyst expectations of $1.39 billion.
REITs—by law required to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income to shareholders as dividends—aren't expected to deliver eye-popping EPS. Investors should instead focus on how the world's sixth-largest REIT is providing stability.
Realty Income's total occupancy rate—with a portfolio of about 15,511 properties spanning roughly 355 million square feet—stands at 98.9%. Approximately 91% of the portfolio consists of non-discretionary, service-oriented retail or low-price-point businesses, which tend to be more resilient in downturns.
Another sign of improving valuation: on a trailing 12-month basis Realty Income's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 61.54 was elevated, but its forward P/E of 15.86 suggests the stock may offer value in addition to an attractive yield.
Still, investors increasing equity exposure to bolster income should be mindful of principal risk. Moving away from fixed income—often perceived as near-zero risk—into higher-return equities can expose portfolios to volatility and capital erosion.
After trading in a well-defined range for most of the past year, Realty Income has broken out, posting a year-to-date gain of more than 15%. Asset erosion remains a concern, though: shares are about 12% below their five-year high on Aug. 12, 2022—losses that haven't been offset by the stock's yield.
Realty Income's Dividend Is (Slowly) Growing
The dividend that makes O so attractive currently yields 4.91%, or $3.24 per share annually. That's better than most fixed-income instruments and close to the real estate sector's average 5% yield.
After decades of consecutive dividend increases, Realty Income is a member of the vaunted Dividend Aristocrats club. Still, its dividend payout ratio is worth monitoring.
The payout ratio measures the percentage of a company's net income paid to shareholders as dividends. For REITs, this ratio is often higher than what is considered healthy for other dividend stocks, which typically target 30%–50%. For Realty Income, that figure currently stands near 300%.
Despite the company's reputation for dividend increases, growth has been modest recently: the annualized five-year dividend growth rate is just 1.08%. For context, American Tower (NYSE: AMT)—another REIT by structure but operating in wireless infrastructure—has an annualized five-year dividend growth rate of 11.38% and a payout ratio of about 108.63%.
The comparison isn't apples to apples—O pays monthly while AMT pays quarterly, and the businesses operate in different niches—but the side-by-side highlights how elevated Realty Income's payout ratio is and reinforces concerns about potential capital erosion.
Checking Realty Income's Financial Health
That doesn't mean the REIT's streak of consecutive dividend increases is imminently at risk. According to TradeSmith, Realty Income's financial health is firmly in the Green Zone, where it has been for more than seven months.
Q4 revenue grew 11% year over year, and over the past five years the company's revenue growth has averaged an impressive 29.85%.
3 Stocks Under $5 With Strong Analyst Upside Potential
Author: Chris Markoch. First Published: 2/24/2026.
Key Points
- Grab Holdings is gaining analyst support as revenue growth and its first full year of profitability highlight long-term opportunity in Southeast Asia’s expanding digital economy.
- Vaxart offers speculative biotech upside with its oral vaccine platform targeting influenza, norovirus, and COVID-19, creating a high-risk, high-reward setup.
- ThredUp is positioned to benefit from the fast-growing resale market, with strong institutional ownership and industry forecasts pointing to sustained secondhand demand.
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While many investors are rotating out of speculative penny stocks, others remain attracted to their risk-reward profiles. Stocks that trade under $5 carry added risk: many are unprofitable and some generate little to no revenue.
Most of these companies are small caps, a group that has been punished over the past several years. Even though the Russell 2000 is showing signs of recovery, that improvement hasn't been widespread across the broader small-cap sector.
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That may change in 2026 if the economic outlook improves and money flows back into speculative names. But as with any segment of the market, quality matters.
One way to identify higher-quality low-priced stocks is to look for names with positive analyst sentiment. That's true of the three stocks below. Each lets investors build a meaningful position with a relatively modest outlay while retaining the potential for significant upside over the next five years.
Profitability Milestone Meets Long-Term Emerging Market Growth
Emerging-market stocks are expected to be among the winners in 2026. That hasn't been the case so far for Grab Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: GRAB), which is down about 15% year-to-date. Grab, based in Singapore, operates a super app that combines elements of technology, e-commerce and fintech businesses.
Part of the stock's recent pullback reflects uncertainty around its proposed merger with Indonesian ride-hailing competitor GoTo. The deal is not finalized and could be affected by significant legislative changes in Indonesia that may limit the company's earnings potential there.
The company also missed the top line in its Q4 2025 earnings report. Some context, however: revenue rose 19% year over year, and 2025 marked the company's first full-year profit. Analysts are forecasting roughly 120% earnings growth over the next 12 months.
That helps explain the bullish sentiment. GRAB has a consensus price target of $6.47, implying about 54% upside from current levels.
High-Risk Biotech With Platform Potential
Penny-stock investors often look to the biotechnology sector, where downside is high but so is potential reward. One name to watch is Vaxart Inc. (OTCMKTS: VXRT), the only company on this list that meets the classic definition of a penny stock. At the time of writing, it was trading just above $0.60 per share.
VXRT has limited analyst coverage, but the most recent rating in the past 12 months was a Buy with a $2 price target.
It's common for analysts to overlook some biotech firms. Vaxart is a clinical-stage company, meaning all of its candidates remain in clinical trials.
The potential upside is straightforward: Vaxart is developing oral vaccines, primarily targeting influenza, norovirus and COVID-19.
Beyond convenience and avoiding needles, the company says its platform may elicit a broader immune response that could provide wider protection.
Institutional ownership of VXRT is modest, around 18%, but by dollar volume inflows outnumber outflows nearly 10-to-1, which is notable for a micro-cap biotech.
Resale Tailwinds Could Turn Today's Losses Into Tomorrow's Gains
ThredUp Inc. (NASDAQ: TDUP) is down about 33% so far in 2026, but a longer view helps. Over the past 12 months TDUP is up more than 66%, suggesting the recent weakness may be a normal pullback as investors avoid unprofitable companies.
That caveat—"yet"—may be important for ThredUp. The company runs an online consignment and thrift platform that is gaining traction with Gen Z, a trend reflected in revenue. In its most recent quarter, revenue rose 12.5% year over year.
ThredUp cites a GlobalData 2025 market survey forecasting U.S. secondhand market gross merchandise value to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% through 2029.
Institutional investors own an impressive 89% of the stock. Buying has outpaced selling about two-to-one by dollar value and roughly three-to-one by number of trades. That said, short interest is around 17%, which can add near-term volatility.
The consensus price target from six analysts is $12.50, implying more than 190% upside from the current price as of this writing.
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