Welcome back to Smash, Trash, or Stash.

This is the no-BS series where I run through five tickers suggested by readers and give my recommendation:

• SMASH the Buy button → Strong Buy / High-Conviction Stock

• TRASH that stock → Hard Pass / Avoid for now

Or…

• STASH that stock on the watchlist → Keep on watchlist / Not ready yet but worth tracking

Let’s get to it:

Apple (AAPL) – TRASH It

Apple’s moat is undeniable.

Its products and services are so smooth and connected that customers keep coming back for life.

But Apple trades at 36x earnings. That’s a premium valuation for a company with little growth potential.

Earnings are forecasted to rise 9% this year and 8% next year, compared with 9% and 14% for the S&P 500. The math doesn’t justify the price.

That said, an AI announcement could give the stock a near-term boost.

A potential partnership with Google Gemini (being floated as I type this) could finally breathe life into Siri which is currently next to useless.

But even with that upside, I still think there are better places to put our money right now.

In fact, James Altucher just recommended a tiny tech company that he believes could be critical to "Apple Intelligence."

It could soar as early as September 9 at 1pm, when CEO Tim Cook takes the stage and unveils the iPhone 17.

Click here to get the details now.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) – SMASH the Buy Button

2025 has been brutal for UnitedHealth.

The stock is down nearly 50% after a string of disasters: an earnings miss, guidance cut, surprise CEO exit, suspended forecast, not to mention a DOJ probe into Medicare fraud.

Then Buffett stepped in. Berkshire Hathaway took a stake and it makes sense why.

Underneath the headlines, UnitedHealth remains a giant.

It generates $400 billion in revenue and $15 billion in profit, runs the largest U.S. health insurer, owns Optum, and covers nearly one in three Medicare Advantage patients.

DOJ probes sound terrifying but usually end in fines, not collapse.

Buffett knows insurance better than anyone alive – and if he sees value here, I’m with him.

Qualcomm (QCOM) – SMASH the Buy Button

Qualcomm is best known for the mobile chips that power smartphones. But its future growth story is much bigger than phones.

The company already has a foothold in the automotive market. And as autonomous vehicles develop, Qualcomm’s opportunity expands tremendously.

AVs will require not only connectivity but also real-time processing power – exactly the kind of market Qualcomm is built to serve.

And the valuation here is attractive. The stock trades at just 15x earnings which is far below most AI-related plays.

On top of that, Qualcomm just announced that 100% of its 2025 free cash flow will go back to shareholders through dividends and buybacks.

That’s the type of shareholder-friendly move that signals management believes its stock is undervalued.

This is a company with an established presence in autos, a growing pipeline tied to the physical AI future, and at this price, it’s a SMASH.

Credo Technology (CRDO) – STASH on the Watchlist

Credo shares soared even higher this week after the company crushed earnings.

The company is a leader in high-speed data connections for AI data centers.

It makes a product called Active Electrical Cables (AECs). These copper-based cables connect AI servers to networking switches more efficiently than optical or traditional copper alternatives.

With a reported 73% share of the AEC market, Credo is a clear leader in a market that’s expected to grow 15x from today’s levels.

The problem is valuation. Credo trades at 475x earnings and over 50x sales.

Growth is phenomenal, but at these levels I can’t recommend buying shares.

This one belongs on the STASH list.

If we get a meaningful pullback, be prepared to buy one of the most important growth companies powering the AI buildout.

Aurora (AUR) – SMASH the Buy Button

Aurora is building the future of freight with self-driving trucks.

The company already launched its first commercial driverless service on the Dallas-to-Houston route and plans to expand to the El Paso-to-Phoenix route by the end of 2025.

The freight market is massive, labor is scarce, and cost savings are substantial.

Its launch partners include Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines, two big names in logistics.

This stock isn’t the steady value play that UnitedHealth or Qualcomm is.

It’s early, volatile, and will take time.

But Aurora is already proving itself a leader in autonomous freight.

With big customers on board and expansion underway, I’m calling this one a SMASH.

Have a Stock or Crypto You Want Covered?

That’s it for this edition of Smash, Trash, or Stash.

If you’ve got a stock you want my take on, email me at AskDavis@paradigmpressgroup.com and I’ll include it in a future edition.