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

1 Profitable Stock for Long-Term Investors and 2 to Be Wary Of

KRT Cover Image

A company with profits isn’t always a great investment. Some struggle to maintain growth, face looming threats, or fail to reinvest wisely, limiting their future potential.

Profits are valuable, but they’re not everything. At StockStory, we help you identify the companies that have real staying power. That said, here is one profitable company that balances growth and profitability and two that may face some trouble.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Karat Packaging (KRT)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 8.9%

Founded as Lollicup, Karat Packaging (NASDAQ: KRT) distributes and manufactures environmentally-friendly disposable foodservice packaging solutions.

Why Does KRT Fall Short?

  1. Annual revenue growth of 2.1% over the last two years was below our standards for the industrials sector
  2. Earnings growth over the last two years fell short of the peer group average as its EPS only increased by 5.9% annually
  3. Low free cash flow margin of 4.4% for the last five years gives it little breathing room, constraining its ability to self-fund growth or return capital to shareholders

At $27.25 per share, Karat Packaging trades at 9.9x forward EV-to-EBITDA. To fully understand why you should be careful with KRT, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Organon (OGN)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 19.6%

Spun off from Merck in 2021 to create a company dedicated to addressing unmet needs in women's health, Organon (NYSE: OGN) is a global healthcare company focused on improving women's health through prescription therapies, medical devices, biosimilars, and established medicines.

Why Should You Sell OGN?

  1. Sales tumbled by 3.8% annually over the last five years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
  2. Earnings per share have dipped by 18% annually over the past four years, which is concerning because stock prices follow EPS over the long term
  3. Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 28.9 percentage points

Organon’s stock price of $9.75 implies a valuation ratio of 2.5x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including OGN in your portfolio.

One Stock to Buy:

Hims & Hers Health (HIMS)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 6.2%

Originally launched with a focus on stigmatized conditions like hair loss and sexual health, Hims & Hers Health (NYSE: HIMS) operates a consumer-focused telehealth platform that connects patients with healthcare providers for prescriptions and wellness products.

Why Do We Love HIMS?

  1. Customer trends over the past two years show it’s maintaining a steady flow of new contracts that can potentially increase in value over time
  2. Earnings growth has massively outpaced its peers over the last four years as its EPS has compounded at 37% annually
  3. Free cash flow margin increased by 23.5 percentage points over the last five years, giving the company more capital to invest or return to shareholders

Hims & Hers Health is trading at $64.47 per share, or 48.6x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

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-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today

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