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

Spotting Winners: Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) And Cybersecurity Stocks In Q4

QLYS Cover Image

Let’s dig into the relative performance of Qualys (NASDAQ: QLYS) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q4 cybersecurity earnings season.

Cybersecurity continues to be one of the fastest-growing segments within software for good reason. Almost every company is slowly finding itself becoming a technology company and facing rising cybersecurity risks. Businesses are accelerating adoption of cloud-based software, moving data and applications into the cloud to save costs while improving performance. This migration has opened them to a multitude of new threats, like employees accessing data via their smartphone while on an open network, or logging into a web-based interface from a laptop in a new location.

The 9 cybersecurity stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.1% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 8.3% since the latest earnings results.

Qualys (NASDAQ: QLYS)

Founded in 1999 as one of the first subscription security companies, Qualys (NASDAQ: QLYS) provides organizations with software to assess their exposure to cyber-attacks.

Qualys reported revenues of $159.2 million, up 10.1% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a mixed quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

"Customers are starting to leverage the breadth and depth of the Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform as they look to rearchitect and transform their security stacks," said Sumedh Thakar, Qualys' president and CEO.

Qualys Total Revenue

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 11.6% since reporting and currently trades at $124.50.

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

Best Q4: Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS)

After successfully selling all four of his previous cybersecurity companies, Jay Chaudhry's fifth venture, Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) offers software-as-a-service that helps companies securely connect to applications and networks in the cloud.

Zscaler reported revenues of $647.9 million, up 23.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.1%. The business had a very strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ annual recurring revenue and EBITDA estimates.

Zscaler Total Revenue

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 7.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $210.54.

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

Weakest Q4: Varonis (NASDAQ: VRNS)

Founded by a duo of former Israeli Defense Forces cyber warfare engineers, Varonis (NASDAQ: VRNS) offers software-as-service that helps customers protect data from cyber threats and gain visibility into how enterprise data is being used.

Varonis reported revenues of $158.5 million, up 2.9% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4.2%. It was a softer quarter as it posted full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations.

Varonis delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 12% since the results and currently trades at $41.28.

Read our full analysis of Varonis’s results here.

Okta (NASDAQ: OKTA)

Founded during the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2009, Okta (NASDAQ: OKTA) is a cloud-based software-as-a-service platform that helps companies manage identity for their employees and customers.

Okta reported revenues of $682 million, up 12.7% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 2.1%. It was a strong quarter as it also logged a solid beat of analysts’ billings estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Okta delivered the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 15.2% since reporting and currently trades at $100.53.

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

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW)

Founded in 2005 by cybersecurity engineer Nir Zuk, Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) makes hardware and software cybersecurity products that protect companies from cyberattacks, breaches, and malware threats.

Palo Alto Networks reported revenues of $2.26 billion, up 14.3% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. More broadly, it was a mixed quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a miss of analysts’ billings estimates.

The stock is down 13% since reporting and currently trades at $175.65.

Read our full, actionable report on Palo Alto Networks here, it’s free.

Market Update

As a result of the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has come down from frothy levels post-pandemic. The general rise in the price of goods and services is trending towards the Fed’s 2% goal as of late, which is good news. The higher rates that fought inflation also didn't slow economic activity enough to catalyze a recession. So far, soft landing. This, combined with recent rate cuts (half a percent in September 2024 and a quarter percent in November 2024) have led to strong stock market performance in 2024. The icing on the cake for 2024 returns was Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. Presidential Election in early November, sending major indices to all-time highs in the week following the election. Still, debates around the health of the economy and the impact of potential tariffs and corporate tax cuts remain, leaving much uncertainty around 2025.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Hidden Gem 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.