StockStory flags BARK, PLUS and FHB as small-cap stocks to avoid

StockStory on May 13, 2026, identified Bark (NYSE:BARK), ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) and First Hawaiian (NASDAQ:FHB) as small-cap stocks it says investors should avoid, citing valuation and risk concerns in a less-covered segment of the market. Bark, with a market value of $78.21 million, was listed at $9.10 a share and 25.6 times forward EV-to-EBITDA. ePlus, valued at $2.36 billion, traded at $91.24 a share and 16.7 times forward earnings. First Hawaiian, with a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, was listed at $27.34 a share and 1.1 times forward price-to-book. The report framed small-cap investing as higher risk because of limited analyst coverage and less reliable price targets. It also promoted StockStory’s weekly stock-screening product, citing prior selections including Palantir, AppLovin, Nvidia and Kadant.