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

1 Industrials Stock with Solid Fundamentals and 2 Facing Challenges

HDSN Cover Image

Industrials businesses quietly power the physical things we depend on, from cars and homes to e-commerce infrastructure. But they are at the whim of volatile macroeconomic factors that sway capital spending, like interest rates. Wariness surrounding these influences has caused the industry to underperform the market as it was flat over the past six months while the S&P 500 climbed by 4.1%.

The elite companies can churn out earnings growth under any circumstance, however, and our mission at StockStory is to help you find them. Taking that into account, here is one resilient industrials stock at the top of our wish list and two we’re passing on.

Two IndustrialsStocks to Sell:

Hudson Technologies (HDSN)

Market Cap: $357.4 million

Founded in 1991, Hudson Technologies (NASDAQ: HDSN) specializes in refrigerant services and solutions, providing refrigerant sales, reclamation, and recycling.

Why Does HDSN Fall Short?

  1. Annual sales declines of 15.5% for the past two years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market during this cycle
  2. Falling earnings per share over the last two years has some investors worried as stock prices ultimately follow EPS over the long term
  3. Shrinking returns on capital suggest that increasing competition is eating into the company’s profitability

Hudson Technologies’s stock price of $8.22 implies a valuation ratio of 10.7x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including HDSN in your portfolio.

MRC Global (MRC)

Market Cap: $1.21 billion

Producing bomb casings and tracks for vehicles during WWII, MRC (NYSE: MRC) offers pipes, valves, and fitting products for various industries.

Why Are We Out on MRC?

  1. Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 2.9% annually over the last five years
  2. Earnings per share have contracted by 33.4% annually over the last two years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance
  3. ROIC of 0.9% reflects management’s challenges in identifying attractive investment opportunities

At $14.05 per share, MRC Global trades at 11.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than MRC.

One Industrials Stock to Watch:

Wabtec (WAB)

Market Cap: $36.26 billion

Also known as Wabtec, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (NYSE: WAB) provides equipment, systems, and related software for the railway industry.

Why Does WAB Stand Out?

  1. Core business is healthy and doesn’t need acquisitions to boost sales as its organic revenue growth averaged 9.5% over the past two years
  2. Operating profits and efficiency rose over the last five years as it benefited from some fixed cost leverage
  3. Share repurchases over the last two years enabled its annual earnings per share growth of 25.5% to outpace its revenue gains

Wabtec is trading at $211.91 per share, or 24.3x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

Donald Trump’s April 2024 "Liberation Day" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities.

The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don’t miss out on the recovery - check out 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

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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