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.

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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

2 Unpopular Stocks that Deserve a Second Chance and 1 to Be Wary Of

INTC Cover Image

Wall Street’s bearish price targets for the stocks in this article signal serious concerns. Such forecasts are uncommon in an industry where maintaining cordial corporate relationships often trumps delivering the hard truth.

Whatever the consensus opinion may be, our team at StockStory cuts through the noise by conducting independent analysis to determine a company’s long-term prospects. That said, here are two stocks where Wall Street’s pessimism is creating a buying opportunity and one facing legitimate challenges.

One Stock to Sell:

Intel (INTC)

Consensus Price Target: $21.40 (-8.8% implied return)

Inventor of the x86 processor that powered decades of technological innovation in PCs, data centers, and numerous other markets, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a leading manufacturer of computer processors and graphics chips.

Why Do We Avoid INTC?

  1. Annual sales declines of 6.9% for the past five years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market during this cycle
  2. Operating margin declined by 46.7 percentage points over the last five years as its sales cratered
  3. Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 25 percentage points

At $23.48 per share, Intel trades at 39x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than INTC.

Two Stocks to Buy:

Nvidia (NVDA)

Consensus Price Target: $175.14 (7.2% implied return)

Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang and two former Sun Microsystems engineers, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is a leading fabless designer of chips used in gaming, PCs, data centers, automotive, and a variety of end markets.

Why Is NVDA a Good Business?

  1. Annual revenue growth of 140% over the past two years was outstanding, reflecting market share gains this cycle
  2. Share buybacks catapulted its annual earnings per share growth to 80.2%, which outperformed its revenue gains over the last five years
  3. NVDA is a free cash flow machine with the flexibility to invest in growth initiatives or return capital to shareholders, and its improved cash conversion implies it’s becoming a less capital-intensive business

Nvidia’s stock price of $163.36 implies a valuation ratio of 34.5x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free.

Construction Partners (ROAD)

Consensus Price Target: $109.97 (5.7% implied return)

Founded in 2001, Construction Partners (NASDAQ: ROAD) is a civil infrastructure company that builds and maintains roads, highways, and other infrastructure projects.

Why Will ROAD Outperform?

  1. Demand for the next 12 months is expected to accelerate above its two-year trend as Wall Street forecasts robust revenue growth of 40.5%
  2. Earnings growth has massively outpaced its peers over the last two years as its EPS has compounded at 91% annually
  3. Improving returns on capital suggest its past investments are beginning to deliver value

Construction Partners is trading at $104.01 per share, or 44.5x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out 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 ServiceNow (+178% 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

StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.

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