Welcome back to Smash, Trash, or Stash.

This is the no-BS series where I run through stocks/cryptos 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:

Snowflake (SNOW) – STASH for Later

This one’s tricky. Snowflake has been expensive and hyped since its 2020 IPO.

I remember getting nonstop questions from colleagues about it back when I worked at an investment bank.

For that reason alone I was skeptical.

The stock’s down 4% since then, but it’s had a strong past year and is still trading at a sky-high 142x next year’s earnings.

Can I really recommend a stock at that price? Not yet.

That said, Snowflake plays a critical role in the AI and data ecosystem.

The company helps businesses store, manage, and analyze massive amounts of data in the cloud. This is something every AI model depends on.

If you already own it, I wouldn’t sell. Snowflake will likely remain a winner as AI adoption accelerates.

But for new money, I’d wait for a better entry point.

For now, it’s a STASH.

SoundHound (SOUN) – TRASH It

SoundHound does have a legitimate business.

It builds voice AI solutions that let companies add conversational AI into cars, restaurants, and customer service.

The problem? The stock trades like a meme.

It’s up 238% in the past year and 424% in three years.

These moves are more tied to social media chatter than actual fundamentals.

Meanwhile, the company trades at an eye-watering 50x sales and still isn’t profitable.

Investors are pricing in way too much, way too soon.

Until SoundHound proves real staying power in its markets, I’m calling this one a TRASH.

Lithium Americas (LAC) – STASH for Later

I’ve followed Lithium Americas for nearly a decade – before it split its South American business.

I’ve owned it countless times, even 10x’ing my money on a few occasions.

Recently, the U.S. government took a stake in the company, sending the stock up over 100%.

Impressive, but keep in mind these kinds of deals are dilutive. (More on this another time.)

The big story here is Thacker Pass in Nevada.

This is the largest lithium deposit in the world.

But production isn’t expected to start until 2027, with full ramp-up in 2028.

That’s years away and plenty of things can go wrong in the meantime (whether it’s broad market corrections or company-specific issues).

I like the long-term potential, but I’d rather wait for a broad selloff to get in at a discount.

For now, it stays on the STASH list.

Hasbro (HAS) – SMASH the Buy Button

This isn’t a flashy tech stock, but it deserves a serious look.

Hasbro trades at just 14x forward earnings, pays a 3.7% dividend, and has steady, modest growth.

The real driver? Its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming division, which includes hits like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.

Hasbro is rightfully leaning into digital entertainment as people spend more time online than with traditional toys.

If you’re a value investor who likes stability and dividends, Hasbro is a SMASH.

You can own it long term and sleep well at night.

For growth investors, stocks like Alphabet (GOOG) and Netflix (NFLX) are better ways to play the digital trend, but Hasbro offers safety at a fair price.

XRP (Ripple) – SMASH the Buy Button

Ripple keeps inching forward with partnerships and legal wins.

But as we know, in crypto, that rarely moves the needle.

XRP, like most crypto assets, doesn’t trade on fundamentals. It trades on momentum, narrative, and the hope of catching a wave that turns into real money.

If XRP starts running again, it probably won’t be because of a breakthrough use case – but because people see it moving and pile in.

That might sound cynical, but that’s just how these assets behave: wealth creation drives attention, and attention drives capital.

That’s why I recommend having a deliberate allocation to crypto – with Bitcoin and Ethereum as your core, and XRP in the second tier.

Not because I’m convinced these tokens will reshape the financial system, but because a few might. And when they move, they tend to move fast.

Have a Stock or Crypto You Want Covered?

Send me an email at AskDavis@paradigmpressgroup.com with your pick.

No filters. No fluff.

Just real analysis from someone who watches markets every single day.