The stocks in this article are all trading near their 52-week highs. This strength often reflects positive developments such as new product launches, favorable industry trends, or improved financial performance.

But not every company with momentum is a long-term winner, and plenty of investors have lost money betting on short-term fads. On that note, here are three stocks getting more buzz than they deserve and some you should buy instead.

Laureate Education (LAUR)

One-Month Return: +3.5%

Founded in 1998 by Douglas L. Becker and based in Miami, Laureate Education (NASDAQ:LAUR) is a global network of higher education institutions.

Why Is LAUR Risky?

1. Sluggish trends in its enrolled students suggest customers aren't adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped

2. Capital intensity will likely increase as its free cash flow margin is anticipated to drop by 1.8 percentage points over the next year

3. Underwhelming 18.6% return on capital reflects management's difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities

Laureate Education is trading at $39.04 per share, or 17.3x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with LAUR, check out our full research report (it's free) .

Sabre (SABR)

One-Month Return: +13%

Originally a division of American Airlines, Sabre (NASDAQ:SABR) is a technology provider for the global travel and tourism industry.

Why Should You Sell SABR?

1. Demand for its offerings was relatively low as its number of total bookings has underwhelmed

2. Cash-burning tendencies make us wonder if it can sustainably generate shareholder value

3. 7× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio shows it's overleveraged and increases the probability of shareholder dilution if things turn unexpectedly

At $2.13 per share, Sabre trades at 6.9x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why SABR doesn't pass our bar .

Payoneer (PAYO)

One-Month Return: -0.4%

Founded during the early days of global e-commerce in 2005 to solve international payment challenges, Payoneer (NASDAQ:PAYO) provides financial technology services that enable small and medium-sized businesses to send and receive payments globally across borders.

Why Are We Hesitant About PAYO?

1. Incremental sales over the last two years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 5.2% annually while its revenue grew

2. Below-average return on equity indicates management struggled to find compelling investment opportunities

Payoneer's stock price of $7.12 implies a valuation ratio of 18.9x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including PAYO in your portfolio, it's free .