Even if a company is profitable, it doesn’t always mean it’s a great investment. Some struggle to maintain growth, face looming threats, or fail to reinvest wisely, limiting their future potential.

Not all profitable companies are created equal, and that’s why we built StockStory - to help you find the ones that truly shine bright. That said, here are three profitable companies to avoid and some better opportunities instead.

Getty Images (GETY)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 15.2%

With a vast library of over 562 million visual assets documenting everything from breaking news to iconic historical moments, Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a global visual content marketplace that licenses photos, videos, illustrations, and music to businesses, media outlets, and creative professionals.

Why Is GETY Not Exciting?

1. 1.3% annual revenue growth over the last two years was slower than its business services peers
2. Free cash flow margin dropped by 11.2 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up
3. Diminishing returns on capital suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up

Getty Images’s stock price of $1.31 implies a valuation ratio of 18.3x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with GETY, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Korn Ferry (KFY)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 12.8%

With clients including 97% of the S&P 100 and operations in 103 offices across 51 countries, Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY) is a global consulting firm that helps organizations design optimal structures, recruit talent, develop leaders, and create effective compensation strategies.

Why Are We Hesitant About KFY?

1. Sales were flat over the last two years, indicating it’s failed to expand this cycle
2. Expenses have increased as a percentage of revenue over the last five years as its adjusted operating margin fell by 3.3 percentage points
3. Eroding returns on capital suggest its historical profit centers are aging

Korn Ferry is trading at $68.18 per share, or 12.5x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than KFY.

Aramark (ARMK)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 4.3%

From serving hot dogs at major league stadiums to managing college dining halls that feed thousands daily, Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) provides food services and facilities management to schools, healthcare facilities, businesses, sports venues, and correctional institutions across 16 countries.

Why Does ARMK Fall Short?

1. Sales stagnated over the last two years and signal the need for new growth strategies
2. Earnings per share fell by 31% annually over the last two years while its revenue was flat, showing each sale was less profitable
3. Ability to fund investments or reward shareholders with increased buybacks or dividends is restricted by its weak free cash flow margin of 2.1% for the last five years

At $38.79 per share, Aramark trades at 17.7x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with ARMK, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Stocks We Like More

Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged in our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. 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.