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

3 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stocks with Questionable Fundamentals

BIGC Cover Image

Wall Street has set ambitious price targets for the stocks in this article. While this suggests attractive upside potential, it’s important to remain skeptical because analysts face institutional pressures that can sometimes lead to overly optimistic forecasts.

Unlike the investment banks, we created StockStory to provide independent analysis that helps you determine which companies are truly worth following. That said, here are three stocks where Wall Street may be overlooking some important risks and some alternatives with better fundamentals.

BigCommerce (BIGC)

Consensus Price Target: $7.50 (53.4% implied return)

Founded in Sydney, Australia in 2009 by Mitchell Harper and Eddie Machaalani, BigCommerce (NASDAQ: BIGC) provides software for businesses to easily create online stores.

Why Do We Pass on BIGC?

  1. Underwhelming ARR growth of 4% over the last year suggests the company faced challenges in acquiring and retaining long-term customers
  2. Estimated sales growth of 3.7% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend
  3. Poor expense management has led to operating margin losses

BigCommerce is trading at $4.89 per share, or 1.1x forward price-to-sales. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than BIGC.

ASGN (ASGN)

Consensus Price Target: $60.29 (20% implied return)

Evolving from its roots in IT staffing to become a high-end technology consulting powerhouse, ASGN (NYSE: ASGN) provides specialized IT consulting services and staffing solutions to Fortune 1000 companies and U.S. federal government agencies.

Why Should You Sell ASGN?

  1. Annual sales declines of 6.7% for the past two years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market during this cycle
  2. Performance over the past two years shows each sale was less profitable as its earnings per share dropped by 11.6% annually, worse than its revenue
  3. Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 5.1 percentage points

At $50.24 per share, ASGN trades at 9.9x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why ASGN doesn’t pass our bar.

Dime Community Bancshares (DCOM)

Consensus Price Target: $35.70 (33.1% implied return)

With roots dating back to 1910 and a name that evokes the historic "dime savings banks" of America's past, Dime Community Bancshares (NASDAQ: DCOM) is a New York-based bank holding company that provides commercial banking and financial services to businesses and consumers throughout Greater Long Island.

Why Does DCOM Fall Short?

  1. Sales tumbled by 10.2% annually over the last two years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
  2. Net interest margin dropped by 51.7 basis points (100 basis points = 1 percentage point) over the last two years, implying the company’s spreads fell as competitors entered the market
  3. Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last two years, showing each sale was less profitable

Dime Community Bancshares’s stock price of $26.82 implies a valuation ratio of 0.9x forward P/B. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including DCOM in your portfolio.

Stocks We Like 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 Comfort Systems (+782% 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

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.