8 ASX 200 stocks hit fresh 52-week lows last week (and they all have one thing in common)

Interestingly, all (except one) of this week's 52-week low list had one thing in common, despite spanning multiple sectors with vastly different fundamentals. Before I reveal what connects them, see if you can spot the pattern from the list of stocks below.

ASX 200 Stocks at 52-Week Lows

The answer

They all (except Telix) missed FY25 earnings expectations in August and suffered a steep one-day selloff.

At a glance

Here are the the results day reactions and key earnings takeaways:

• Inghams (-20.2%): Inghams reported a disappointing set of results with revenue, underlying EBITDA, and underlying NPAT all missing analyst expectations by 1-8%, while also lowering its dividend and providing a weaker-than-expected earnings outlook for FY26.

• Sonic Healthcare (-12.8%): FY25 NPAT was 3% below market expectations, pathology EBITDA margin of 17.7% was 60 bps below consensus and FY26 guidance was also a miss.

• Ebos (-14.6%): 2H25 EBITDA was 5% below analyst expectations, with a lower-than-expected FY26 EBITDA guidance due to smaller margin on new Community Pharmacy business wins.

• CSL (-16.8%): A mixed FY25 result, with its NPAT and NPATA EPS beating estimates by 1-2%, while revenue and the total dividend fell just shy of expectations. However, FY26 NPATA growth guidance of 7-10% was well-below some analyst expectations of 15-16%.

• IPH (-19.5%): IPH reported mixed FY25 earnings amid ongoing structural challenges. The result flagged persistent market share losses in ANZ, weaker US filings and a slower-than-expected recovery in Asia.

• Bapcor (-28.3%): Bapcor pre-released its FY25 earnings on 24 July, flagging weaker earnings, revenue pressure across all divisions and a large balance sheet review that included several material write downs.

• Domino's Pizza (-21.9%): FY25 numbers were broadly in-line with market expectations, but the stock sold off on a weaker-than-expected trading update and limited disclosure on cost savings.

• Reece (-16.4%): FY25 EBIT fell 20% year-on-year to $548 million, right on the low end of the company's $548-558 million guidance. While the outlook commentary suggests housing markets remain challenging in both ANZ ("slow recovery anticipated" and the US ("expect market to remain constrained for the next 12-18 months").

The data says: "Don't buy the dip"

That would have been a costly mistake.

While the data carries a negative bias (since they've all hit fresh 52-week lows in the past week), the initial results day reaction alone was severe enough to push most names to yearly lows. Yet despite those massive one-day selloffs, the pain has continued.

All but one stock has slid even further since reporting, down an average 9.2%.

It's ugly out there

IPH suffered a massive one-day results-driven selloff, followed by a small bounce and more selling. The stock is currently on a twelve day losing streak, down 15% since 5 September.

This long and painful price action is similar for names like Bapcor, Ebos, Sonic Healthcare and CSL. Clearly, nobody wants to touch these stocks.

The bottom line

Rather than bouncing back, these underperformers tend to keep sliding, falling an additional 8.4% over the following four months.

The bottom line: if your stock gets smashed during reporting season, it's probably not a good idea to buy the dip.