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.

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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 Unpopular Stock That Deserves Some Love and 2 That Underwhelm

ETSY Cover Image

When Wall Street turns bearish on a stock, it’s worth paying attention. These calls stand out because analysts rarely issue grim ratings on companies for fear their firms will lose out in other business lines such as M&A advisory.

Accurately determining a company’s long-term prospects isn’t easy, especially when sentiment is weak. That’s where StockStory comes in - to help you find attractive investment candidates backed by unbiased research. That said, here is one stock where Wall Street’s pessimism is creating a buying opportunity and two facing legitimate challenges.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Etsy (ETSY)

Consensus Price Target: $66.27 (-6.3% implied return)

Founded by a struggling amateur furniture maker Robert Kalin and his two friends, Etsy (NASDAQ: ETSY) is one of the world’s largest online marketplaces, focusing on handmade or vintage items.

Why Are We Wary of ETSY?

  1. Likely needs to improve its platform or increase its marketing budget for penetration to accelerate as its active buyers were flat over the last two years
  2. Sales are projected to remain flat over the next 12 months as demand decelerates from its three-year trend
  3. Earnings per share were flat over the last three years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were less profitable

At $70.74 per share, Etsy trades at 11.9x forward EV/EBITDA. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than ETSY.

Fastenal (FAST)

Consensus Price Target: $43.95 (3.7% implied return)

Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally.

Why Are We Cautious About FAST?

  1. Muted 4.8% annual revenue growth over the last two years shows its demand lagged behind its industrials peers
  2. Incremental sales over the last two years were less profitable as its 3.7% annual earnings per share growth lagged its revenue gains
  3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 1.2 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

Fastenal’s stock price of $42.38 implies a valuation ratio of 35.9x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including FAST in your portfolio.

One Stock to Buy:

Vertiv (VRT)

Consensus Price Target: $166.82 (-7.9% implied return)

Formerly part of Emerson Electric, Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) manufactures and services infrastructure technology products for data centers and communication networks.

Why Will VRT Beat the Market?

  1. Average organic revenue growth of 19.6% over the past two years demonstrates its ability to expand independently without relying on acquisitions
  2. Free cash flow margin expanded by 5.6 percentage points over the last five years, providing additional flexibility for investments and share buybacks/dividends
  3. Returns on capital are growing as management capitalizes on its market opportunities

Vertiv is trading at $181.10 per share, or 41.8x forward P/E. Is now the right 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 9 Market-Beating Stocks. 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-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% 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.

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