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

1 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stock on Our Buy List and 2 We Question

NSP Cover Image

The stocks in this article have caught Wall Street’s attention in a big way, with price targets implying returns above 20%. But investors should take these forecasts with a grain of salt because analysts typically say nice things about companies so their firms can win business in other product lines like M&A advisory.

Unlike the investment banks, we created StockStory to provide independent analysis that helps you determine which companies are truly worth following. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock where Wall Street’s excitement appears well-founded and two where analysts may be overlooking some important risks.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Insperity (NSP)

Consensus Price Target: $57.75 (23.6% implied return)

Pioneering the professional employer organization (PEO) industry it helped establish, Insperity (NYSE: NSP) provides human resources outsourcing services to small and medium-sized businesses, handling payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR administration.

Why Is NSP Not Exciting?

  1. Sales trends were unexciting over the last two years as its 3.2% annual growth was below the typical business services company
  2. Earnings per share fell by 13.2% annually over the last five years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable
  3. Depletion of cash reserves could lead to a fundraising event that triggers shareholder dilution

Insperity’s stock price of $46.71 implies a valuation ratio of 18.1x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with NSP, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).

Merchants Bancorp (MBIN)

Consensus Price Target: $40 (28.1% implied return)

With a strategic focus on low-risk, government-backed lending programs, Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQCM:MBIN) is an Indiana-based bank holding company specializing in multi-family mortgage banking, mortgage warehousing, and traditional banking services.

Why Does MBIN Worry Us?

  1. Net interest margin of 3% reflects its high servicing and capital costs
  2. Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last four years as its efficiency ratio increased by 15.3 percentage points
  3. Insufficient tier one capital ratio of 8.6% leaves little margin for error in meeting regulatory liquidity requirements

Merchants Bancorp is trading at $31.22 per share, or 0.8x forward P/B. If you’re considering MBIN for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

One Stock to Buy:

Paymentus (PAY)

Consensus Price Target: $39 (27.8% implied return)

Founded in 2004 to simplify the complex world of bill payments, Paymentus (NYSE: PAY) provides a cloud-based platform that helps utilities, municipalities, and service providers automate billing and payment processes.

Why Will PAY Outperform?

  1. Annual revenue growth of 36.9% over the past two years was outstanding, reflecting market share gains this cycle
  2. Performance over the past two years shows its incremental sales were extremely profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 134% outpaced its revenue gains

At $30.52 per share, Paymentus trades at 43.6x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.

Stocks We Like Even More

Trump’s April 2025 tariff bombshell triggered a massive market selloff, but stocks have since staged an impressive recovery, leaving those who panic sold on the sidelines.

Take advantage of the rebound by checking out our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today

StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.

More News

View More

Recent Quotes

View More
Symbol Price Change (%)
AMZN  213.04
-1.43 (-0.67%)
AAPL  252.29
+4.84 (1.96%)
AMD  233.08
-1.48 (-0.63%)
BAC  51.28
+0.84 (1.67%)
GOOG  253.79
+1.91 (0.76%)
META  716.91
+4.84 (0.68%)
MSFT  513.58
+1.97 (0.39%)
NVDA  183.16
+1.35 (0.74%)
ORCL  291.31
-21.69 (-6.93%)
TSLA  439.31
+10.56 (2.46%)
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 Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.