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

We’ve got a mix of fintech, defense, AI, and quantum this week.

Let’s get to it.

Visa (V) – Smash the Buy Button

Some stocks don’t need much of an introduction – they just print money. Visa is one of them.

It’s not just a credit card company. It’s a $700 billion toll booth on the global payments highway. Every time someone swipes, taps, or clicks – Visa takes a cut.

Lately, the market’s been busy rotating into crypto and stablecoin names, especially after the Senate passed a stablecoin bill. Circle, Coinbase, and others have surged. Meanwhile, Visa and Mastercard just had one of their worst months in years.

But let’s keep perspective. The market always moves in cycles – chasing one shiny innovation before moving on to the next.

Stablecoins are real, and over time they could reshape parts of the payments ecosystem. But they’re still early. The rails, regulation, and adoption curve all need time.

Meanwhile, Visa keeps humming. Its moat is massive. Its margins are elite. And its network effects are nearly impossible to replicate. Cards are universal, embedded in both consumer behavior and banking incentives – and Visa sits at the center.

And let’s not forget: Visa isn’t ignoring stablecoins. It’s already experimenting with USDC settlements and blockchain integrations. If stablecoins are the future, Visa plans to get paid there too.

Verdict: Smash. The market might be distracted. We’re not. Visa still wins.

Bitcoin Depot (BTM) – Trash It

Yes, this is a real stock. And yes, it’s basically a giant ATM network… for buying Bitcoin. The company installs kiosks that let people deposit cash and receive Bitcoin in return – mostly targeting the underbanked.

Sounds niche? It is. Sounds high-fee and low-scale? Also true.

The business is low-margin, heavily reliant on retail traffic, and doesn’t really benefit from Bitcoin’s long-term upside in any meaningful way. If crypto adoption grows, it’s going to go digital – not physical ATM kiosks.

Revenue is declining, the SPAC hangover is real, and I wouldn’t touch this unless you’re trying to lose money creatively.

Verdict: Trash. Let this one rot in the penny stock graveyard.

Palantir (PLTR) – Stash for Later

I’ve been wrong on Palantir before so take this with a grain of salt. But here’s what I know:

Palantir is important. Its software underpins parts of the U.S. government and military. It has an ironclad moat in defense and intelligence. And it’s winning real AI contracts, not just sprinkling buzzwords in earnings calls.

But the stock? It’s trading at 550x earnings and 100x sales. Those are dot-com-era numbers. That’s a pricing-in-perfection setup if I’ve ever seen one.

Palantir's cult following, led by eccentric CEO Alex Karp, gives it Elon-like investor energy. And that’s great – until it isn’t. I like the company, but not at these prices.

Verdict: Stash. Let it cool off. Be ready when the hype fades.

AeroVironment (AVAV) – Stash for Later

Modern warfare runs on drones and AeroVironment is quietly becoming a critical player.

The company’s tactical drones are being used in conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. And that tailwind isn’t going away. As nations rethink defense budgets and shift to tech-driven combat, AVAV’s products are becoming essential.

The stock is expensive at 160x earnings, and yes, it just diluted shareholders with a secondary offering. But in this case, the growth opportunity might justify the premium.

If you want to own a niche, high-upside defense play, this is one of the most direct ways to do it.

Verdict: Stash away for when this stock gets a bit cheaper.

International Business Machines (IBM) – Trash

Big Blue is trying to become cool again. The market seems to believe it – it’s doubled in the last two years, and now trades at 50x earnings.

That would make sense if IBM were growing like Nvidia. But it’s not.

Earnings growth is expected to be 5.5% this year and 6.5% next year. The S&P 500 is growing faster.

Yes, it’s doing real work in quantum and AI, and its enterprise presence is massive. But you don’t pay Nvidia prices for IBM growth. This feels like a rotation trade gone too far.

Verdict: Trash. If you want an AI/quantum stock worth buying, NVDA gives you more growth, more upside, and better execution.

Have a Stock or Crypto You Want Covered?

That’s it for this week’s 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.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!