Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

Q3 Earnings Highs And Lows: DocuSign (NASDAQ:DOCU) Vs The Rest Of The Productivity Software Stocks

DOCU Cover Image

As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q3. Today, we are looking at productivity software stocks, starting with DocuSign (NASDAQ: DOCU).

Rising employee costs and the shift to more remote work has increased the ever-present pressure to improve corporate productivity, which in turn has driven rising demand for productivity software that enables remote work, streamline project management and automate business tasks.

The 17 productivity software stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.4% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 3.4% on average since the latest earnings results.

DocuSign (NASDAQ: DOCU)

Founded by Seattle-based entrepreneur Tom Gonser, DocuSign (NASDAQ: DOCU) is the pioneer of e-signature and offers software as a service that allows people and organisations to sign legally binding documents electronically.

DocuSign reported revenues of $754.8 million, up 7.8% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.3%. Overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates and a decent beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

DocuSign Total Revenue

Interestingly, the stock is up 7.5% since reporting and currently trades at $89.93.

Is now the time to buy DocuSign? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q3: Five9 (NASDAQ: FIVN)

Started in 2001, Five9 (NASDAQ: FIVN) offers software-as-a-service that makes it easier for companies to set up and efficiently run call centers to offer more tailored customer support.

Five9 reported revenues of $264.2 million, up 14.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.6%. The business had a very strong quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and full-year EPS guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.

Five9 Total Revenue

Five9 scored the biggest analyst estimates beat and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 23.8% since reporting. It currently trades at $40.64.

Is now the time to buy Five9? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Slowest Q3: Pegasystems (NASDAQ: PEGA)

Founded by Alan Trefler in 1983, Pegasystems (NASDAQ: PEGA) offers a software-as-a-service platform to automate and optimize workflows in customer service and engagement.

Pegasystems reported revenues of $325.1 million, down 2.9% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and billings estimates.

Pegasystems delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 34.8% since the results and currently trades at $94.

Read our full analysis of Pegasystems’s results here.

RingCentral (NYSE: RNG)

Founded in 1999 during the dot-com era, RingCentral (NYSE: RNG) provides software as a service that unifies phone, text, fax, video calls and chat in one platform.

RingCentral reported revenues of $608.8 million, up 9.1% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 1.1%. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also recorded full-year EPS guidance slightly topping analysts’ expectations but annual recurring revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is down 10.4% since reporting and currently trades at $34.75.

Read our full, actionable report on RingCentral here, it’s free.

Jamf (NASDAQ: JAMF)

Founded in 2002 by Zach Halmstad and Chip Pearson, right around the time when Apple began to dominate the personal computing market, Jamf (NASDAQ: JAMF) provides software for companies to manage Apple devices such as Macs, iPads, and iPhones.

Jamf reported revenues of $159.3 million, up 11.7% year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.1%. More broadly, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ billings estimates.

The stock is down 18.3% since reporting and currently trades at $14.20.

Read our full, actionable report on Jamf here, it’s free.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed's series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market has thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% each in November and December), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump's presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by the pace and magnitude of future rate cuts as well as potential changes in trade policy and corporate taxes once the Trump administration takes over. The path forward is marked by uncertainty.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

Join Paid Stock Investor Research

Help us make StockStory more helpful to investors like yourself. Join our paid user research session and receive a $50 Amazon gift card for your opinions. Sign up here.

Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.