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.

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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 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stock on Our Buy List and 2 to Approach with Caution

GES Cover Image

Wall Street is overwhelmingly bullish on the stocks in this article, with price targets suggesting significant upside potential. However, it’s worth remembering that analysts rarely issue sell ratings, partly because their firms often seek other business from the same companies they cover.

Luckily for you, we at StockStory have no conflicts of interest - our sole job is to help you find genuinely promising companies. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock where Wall Street’s excitement appears well-founded and two where analysts may be overlooking some important risks.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Guess (GES)

Consensus Price Target: $16 (41.6% implied return)

Flexing the iconic upside-down triangle logo with a question mark, Guess (NYSE: GES) is a global fashion brand known for its trendy clothing, accessories, and denim wear.

Why Should You Dump GES?

  1. Lackluster 2.3% annual revenue growth over the last five years indicates the company is losing ground to competitors
  2. Anticipated sales growth of 4.2% for the next year implies demand will be shaky
  3. High net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 5× could force the company to raise capital at unfavorable terms if market conditions deteriorate

Guess is trading at $11.30 per share, or 5.4x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with GES, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Thermo Fisher (TMO)

Consensus Price Target: $566.22 (43.8% implied return)

With over 14,000 sales personnel and a portfolio spanning more than 2,500 technology manufacturers, Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO) provides scientific equipment, reagents, consumables, software, and laboratory services to pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, and healthcare customers worldwide.

Why Does TMO Fall Short?

  1. Core business is underperforming as its organic revenue has disappointed over the past two years, suggesting it might need acquisitions to stimulate growth
  2. Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its adjusted operating margin fell by 10 percentage points
  3. Diminishing returns on capital suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up

Thermo Fisher’s stock price of $393.77 implies a valuation ratio of 16.6x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including TMO in your portfolio.

One Stock to Buy:

Alignment Healthcare (ALHC)

Consensus Price Target: $18.22 (25.2% implied return)

Founded in 2013 with a mission to transform healthcare for seniors, Alignment Healthcare (NASDAQ: ALHC) provides Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors with features like concierge services, transportation benefits, and technology-driven care coordination.

Why Is ALHC a Top Pick?

  1. Business is winning new contracts that can potentially increase in value as its customer base averaged 38.8% growth over the past two years
  2. Market share will likely rise over the next 12 months as its expected revenue growth of 34.7% is robust
  3. Earnings growth has trumped its peers over the last three years as its EPS has compounded at 28.3% annually

At $14.55 per share, Alignment Healthcare trades at 50.3x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs.

While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like 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 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 Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.

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