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

3 S&P 500 Stocks in the Doghouse

DAY Cover Image

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is often seen as a benchmark for strong businesses, but that doesn’t mean every stock is worth owning. Some companies face significant challenges, whether it’s stagnating growth, heavy debt, or disruptive new competitors.

Even among blue-chip stocks, not all investments are created equal - which is why we built StockStory to help you navigate the market. Keeping that in mind, here are three S&P 500 stocks that don’t make the cut and some better choices instead.

Dayforce (DAY)

Market Cap: $9.53 billion

Founded in 1992 as Ceridian, an outsourced payroll processor and transformed after the 2012 acquisition of Dayforce, Dayforce (NYSE: DAY) is a provider of cloud based payroll and HR software targeted at mid-sized businesses.

Why Does DAY Give Us Pause?

  1. Sales trends were unexciting over the last three years as its 18.7% annual growth was below the typical software company
  2. Gross margin of 50.3% reflects its high servicing costs
  3. Costs have risen faster than its revenue over the last year, causing its operating margin to decline by 3.4 percentage points

Dayforce’s stock price of $59.60 implies a valuation ratio of 4.9x forward price-to-sales. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including DAY in your portfolio.

Ralph Lauren (RL)

Market Cap: $16.34 billion

Originally founded as a necktie company, Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) is an iconic American fashion brand known for its classic and sophisticated style.

Why Are We Wary of RL?

  1. Weak constant currency growth over the past two years indicates challenges in maintaining its market share
  2. Projected sales growth of 3.9% for the next 12 months suggests sluggish demand
  3. Capital intensity will likely increase as its free cash flow margin is anticipated to drop by 2.7 percentage points over the next year

Ralph Lauren is trading at $264.55 per share, or 20.3x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than RL.

Vulcan Materials (VMC)

Market Cap: $35.98 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. Free cash flow margin dropped by 5.6 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

At $272.36 per share, Vulcan Materials trades at 32.5x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why VMC doesn’t pass our bar.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025.

While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we’re homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver’s seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years.

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.

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