3 Stocks That Have Generated Terrifying Returns for Investors Over the Past 5 Years

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Halloween can be a scary time for trick-or-treaters, but if you've invested in risky stocks over the years, looking at your portfolio at any time can be frightening. While stocks can, in general, deliver great long-term returns, risky investments can lead to crippling losses.

And while buying and holding a stock for the long term can result in a sizable return for investors, that's by no means going to be the case in all situations. Investors sometimes hope that a troubled stock today will be able to turn things around and become a good buy if they hold onto it long enough. That can, however, be an incredibly risky strategy.

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Three stocks that have been downright awful and terrifying buys over the past five years are Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT), and Tilray Brands (NASDAQ: TLRY). Here's how much these companies have fallen in value during that time and whether any one of them has a realistic chance of turning things around.

Intel: Down 54%

Investing in technology has been a good move for many investors in recent years as growing excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) has led to some incredible returns. But not every stock is going to turn out like Nvidia. While Intel wants to be a big player in the AI market, it may not be an easy path for it to get there.

Intel has been investing in building its foundry business, and that's been a struggle, to say the least. The company has been incurring losses and suspended its dividend for the sake of freeing up cash to focus on its growth strategy. There is, however, reason for hope in the long run, as news that it's making custom chips for Amazon has made some investors optimistic that the company is on the right path.

By no means is Intel's business doomed, given the need for domestic chips in the U.S. However, it may not be an easy or quick turnaround for the company and its stock. Intel has the potential to be an underrated buy, but this isn't an investment for the faint of heart. Holding the company's shares in your portfolio will require patience, as it could take years for the business to get back to generating consistent profits and being a safe investment again.

iRobot: Down 84%

Roomba-maker iRobot has been having a hard time growing its business, as many companies offer similar products at cheaper prices. For consumers, spending several hundreds of dollars on a robotic vacuum may seem like an unnecessary expense these days. A look at iRobot's financials seems to suggest that the company is not only finding it difficult to stay out of the red, but its top line also has been declining in recent years.