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

2 Large-Cap Stocks with Exciting Potential and 1 to Avoid

VEEV Cover Image

Large-cap stocks are known for their staying power and ability to weather market storms better than smaller competitors. However, their sheer size makes it more challenging to maintain high growth rates as they’ve already captured significant portions of their markets.

This is precisely where StockStory comes in - our job is to find you high-quality companies that can win regardless of the conditions. That said, here are two large-cap stocks whose competitive advantages create flywheel effects and one whose momentum may slow.

One Large-Cap Stock to Sell:

Vulcan Materials (VMC)

Market Cap: $31.06 billion

Founded in 1909, Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC) is a producer of construction aggregates, primarily crushed stone, sand, and gravel.

Why Does VMC Worry Us?

  1. Sales were flat over the last two years, indicating it’s failed to expand this cycle
  2. Sluggish trends in its tons shipped suggest customers aren’t adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped
  3. 3.7 percentage point decline in its free cash flow margin over the last five years reflects the company’s increased investments to defend its market position

Vulcan Materials’s stock price of $233.57 implies a valuation ratio of 26.2x forward price-to-earnings. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including VMC in your portfolio.

Two Large-Cap Stocks to Watch:

Veeva Systems (VEEV)

Market Cap: $38.47 billion

Built on top of Salesforce as one of the first vertical-focused cloud platforms, Veeva (NYSE: VEEV) provides data and customer relationship management (CRM) software for organizations in the life sciences industry.

Why Should VEEV Be on Your Watchlist?

  1. Software platform has product-market fit given the rapid recovery of its customer acquisition costs
  2. Healthy operating margin of 25.2% shows it’s a well-run company with efficient processes, and it turbocharged its profits by achieving some fixed cost leverage
  3. Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends

Veeva Systems is trading at $235.80 per share, or 12.9x forward price-to-sales. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Waste Connections (WCN)

Market Cap: $48.49 billion

Operating a network of municipal solid waste landfills in the U.S. and Canada, Waste Connections (NYSE: WCN) is North America's third-largest waste management company providing collection, disposal, and recycling services.

Why Is WCN Interesting?

  1. Annual revenue growth of 13.1% over the past four years was outstanding, reflecting market share gains this cycle
  2. Highly efficient business model is illustrated by its impressive 16.4% operating margin
  3. Robust free cash flow margin of 14.5% gives it many options for capital deployment

At $187.38 per share, Waste Connections trades at 35.2x forward price-to-earnings. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

The elections are now behind us. With rates dropping and inflation cooling, many analysts expect a breakout market - and we’re zeroing in on the stocks that could benefit immensely.

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 175% over the last five years.

Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like United Rentals (+322% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.

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.