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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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

3 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stocks We Find Risky

CHTR Cover Image

Wall Street has set ambitious price targets for the stocks in this article. While this suggests attractive upside potential, it’s important to remain skeptical because analysts face institutional pressures that can sometimes lead to overly optimistic forecasts.

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 are three stocks where Wall Street’s estimates seem disconnected from reality and some better opportunities to consider.

Charter (CHTR)

Consensus Price Target: $373.60 (46.3% implied return)

Operating as Spectrum, Charter (NASDAQ: CHTR) is a leading telecommunications company offering cable television, high-speed internet, and voice services across the United States.

Why Does CHTR Give Us Pause?

  1. Sluggish trends in its internet subscribers suggest customers aren’t adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped
  2. Demand will likely be weak over the next 12 months as Wall Street expects flat revenue
  3. ROIC of 9.8% reflects management’s challenges in identifying attractive investment opportunities

Charter is trading at $255.28 per share, or 6.4x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including CHTR in your portfolio.

Worthington (WOR)

Consensus Price Target: $68.20 (20.5% implied return)

Founded by a steel salesman, Worthington (NYSE: WOR) specializes in steel processing, pressure cylinders, and engineered cabs for commercial markets.

Why Do We Steer Clear of WOR?

  1. Products and services are facing significant end-market challenges during this cycle as sales have declined by 16.2% annually over the last five years
  2. Earnings per share have contracted by 27.4% annually over the last two years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance
  3. Eroding returns on capital from an already low base indicate that management’s recent investments are destroying value

Worthington’s stock price of $56.60 implies a valuation ratio of 15.6x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with WOR, check out our full research report (it’s free for active Edge members).

Meritage Homes (MTH)

Consensus Price Target: $83.88 (21.5% implied return)

Originally founded in 1985 in Arizona as Monterey Homes, Meritage Homes (NYSE: MTH) is a homebuilder specializing in designing and constructing energy-efficient and single-family homes in the US.

Why Do We Pass on MTH?

  1. Sales pipeline suggests its future revenue growth won’t meet our standards as its backlog averaged 36.5% declines over the past two years
  2. Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 6.6 percentage points
  3. Eroding returns on capital suggest its historical profit centers are aging

At $69.05 per share, Meritage Homes trades at 9.5x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than MTH.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

When Trump unveiled his aggressive tariff plan in April 2025, markets tanked as investors feared a full-blown trade war. But those who panicked and sold missed the subsequent rebound that’s already erased most losses.

Don’t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at 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-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% 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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