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

3 Stocks Under $50 with Mounting Challenges

BOX Cover Image

The $10-50 price range often includes mid-sized businesses with proven track records and plenty of growth runway ahead. They also usually carry less risk than penny stocks, though they’re not immune to volatility as many lack the scale advantages of their larger peers.

These dynamics can cause headaches for even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you separate the good companies from the bad. Keeping that in mind, here are three stocks under $50 to swipe left on and some alternatives you should look into instead.

Box (BOX)

Share Price: $30.96

Founded in 2005 by Aaron Levie and Dylan Smith, Box (NYSE: BOX) provides organizations with software to securely store, share and collaborate around work documents in the cloud.

Why Does BOX Fall Short?

  1. Muted 7.6% annual revenue growth over the last three years shows its demand lagged behind its software peers
  2. Products, pricing, or go-to-market strategy may need some adjustments as its 4.7% average billings growth over the last year was weak
  3. Estimated sales growth of 5.4% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend

Box’s stock price of $30.96 implies a valuation ratio of 4.1x forward price-to-sales. To fully understand why you should be careful with BOX, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Ruger (RGR)

Share Price: $32.89

Founded in 1949, Ruger (NYSE: RGR) is an American manufacturer of firearms for the commercial sporting market.

Why Do We Steer Clear of RGR?

  1. Products and services aren't resonating with the market as its revenue declined by 3.9% annually over the last two years
  2. Earnings per share have contracted by 26.8% annually over the last four years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance
  3. Diminishing returns on capital suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up

Ruger is trading at $32.89 per share, or 10.2x forward EV-to-EBITDA. If you’re considering RGR for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

SolarEdge (SEDG)

Share Price: $14.88

Established in 2006, SolarEdge (NASDAQ: SEDG) creates advanced systems to improve the efficiency of solar panels.

Why Are We Out on SEDG?

  1. Demand for its offerings was relatively low as its number of megawatts shipped has underwhelmed
  2. Diminishing returns on capital from an already low starting point show that neither management’s prior nor current bets are going as planned
  3. Limited cash reserves may force the company to seek unfavorable financing terms that could dilute shareholders

At $14.88 per share, SolarEdge trades at 0.7x forward price-to-sales. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than SEDG.

Stocks That Overcame Trump’s 2018 Tariffs

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 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 Axon (+711% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.

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