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 Consumer Stocks Skating on Thin Ice

FND Cover Image

Retailers are overhauling their operations as technology redefines the shopping experience. Still, demand can be volatile as the industry is exposed to the ups and downs of consumer spending. This has stirred some uncertainty lately as retail stocks have tumbled by 3.6% over the past six months. This drawdown is a noticeable divergence from the S&P 500’s 7.1% return.

Investors should tread carefully as many companies in this space can be value traps. Keeping that in mind, here are three consumer stocks that may face trouble.

Floor And Decor (FND)

Market Cap: $8.96 billion

Operating large, warehouse-style stores, Floor & Decor (NYSE: FND) is a specialty retailer that specializes in hard flooring surfaces for the home such as tiles, hardwood, stone, and laminates.

Why Are We Cautious About FND?

  1. Disappointing same-store sales over the past two years show customers aren’t responding well to its product selection and store experience
  2. Smaller revenue base of $4.52 billion means it hasn’t achieved the economies of scale that some industry juggernauts enjoy
  3. Below-average returns on capital indicate management struggled to find compelling investment opportunities, and its decreasing returns suggest its historical profit centers are aging

Floor And Decor is trading at $83.29 per share, or 39.8x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with FND, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Home Depot (HD)

Market Cap: $368.2 billion

Founded and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is a home improvement retailer that sells everything from tools to building materials to appliances.

Why Does HD Worry Us?

  1. Disappointing same-store sales over the past two years show customers aren’t responding well to its product selection and store experience
  2. Estimated sales growth of 1.6% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its six-year trend
  3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 2.5 percentage points over the last year, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

Home Depot’s stock price of $370 implies a valuation ratio of 24.1x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including HD in your portfolio.

Williams-Sonoma (WSM)

Market Cap: $21.5 billion

Started in 1956 as a store specializing in French cookware, Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) is a specialty retailer of higher-end kitchenware, home goods, and furniture.

Why Do We Think Twice About WSM?

  1. Recent store closures and weak same-store sales point to soft demand and an operational restructuring
  2. Weak same-store sales trends over the past two years suggest there may be few opportunities in its core markets to open new locations
  3. 5.3 percentage point decline in its free cash flow margin over the last year reflects the company’s increased investments to defend its market position

At $174.82 per share, Williams-Sonoma trades at 20.5x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than WSM.

Stocks We Like More

Market indices reached historic highs following Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November 2024, but the outlook for 2025 is clouded by new trade policies that could impact business confidence and growth.

While this has caused many investors to adopt a "fearful" wait-and-see approach, we’re leaning into our best ideas that can grow regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Take advantage of Mr. Market by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. 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 Tecnoglass (+1,754% 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.

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.