Unprofitable companies can burn through cash quickly, leaving investors exposed if they fail to turn things around. Without a clear path to profitability, these businesses risk running out of capital or relying on dilutive fundraising.

A lack of profits can lead to trouble, but StockStory helps you identify the businesses that stand a chance of making it through. Keeping that in mind, here are three unprofitable companiesthat don’t make the cut and some better opportunities instead.

Bally's (BALY)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: -2%

Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Bally's Corporation (NYSE: BALY) is a diversified global casino-entertainment company that owns and manages casinos, resorts, and online gaming platforms.

Why Should You Sell BALY?

1. Annual revenue growth of 2% over the last two years was below our standards for the consumer discretionary sector
2. Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results
3. Depletion of cash reserves could lead to a fundraising event that triggers shareholder dilution

Bally's is trading at $13.89 per share, or 10.8x forward EV-to-EBITDA. To fully understand why you should be careful with BALY, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Middleby (MIDD)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: -2.3%

Holding a Guinness World Record for creating the world’s fastest conveyor pizza oven, Middleby (NYSE: MIDD) is a food service and equipment manufacturer.

Why Do We Steer Clear of MIDD?

1. Absence of organic revenue growth over the past two years suggests it may have to lean into acquisitions to drive its expansion
2. Efficiency has decreased over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 21.1 percentage points
3. Diminishing returns on capital from an already low starting point show that neither management’s prior nor current bets are going as planned

At $163.93 per share, Middleby trades at 18.2x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including MIDD in your portfolio.

PAR Technology (PAR)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: -15.2%

Originally founded in 1968 as a defense contractor for the U.S. government, PAR Technology (NYSE: PAR) provides cloud-based software, payment processing, and hardware solutions that help restaurants manage everything from point-of-sale to customer loyalty programs.

Why Are We Wary of PAR?

1. Cash burn makes us question whether it can achieve sustainable long-term growth
2. Push for growth has led to negative returns on capital, signaling value destruction
3. High net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 14× increases the risk of forced asset sales or dilutive financing if operational performance weakens

PAR Technology’s stock price of $21.33 implies a valuation ratio of 50.7x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why PAR doesn’t pass our bar.

Stocks We Like More

The market’s up big this year - but there’s a catch. Just 4 stocks account for half the S&P 500’s entire gain. That kind of concentration makes investors nervous, and for good reason. While everyone piles into the same crowded names, smart investors are hunting quality where no one’s looking - and paying a fraction of the price. Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged in our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 244% over the last five years (as of June 30, 2025).

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-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.