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

1 Stock Under $50 to Target This Week and 2 to Avoid

LIND Cover Image

Stocks trading between $10 and $50 can be particularly interesting as they frequently represent businesses that have survived their early challenges. However, investors should remain vigilant as some may still have unproven business models, leaving them vulnerable to the ebbs and flows of the broader market.

These dynamics can cause headaches for even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you separate the good companies from the bad. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock under $50 with huge potential and two that may have trouble.

Two Stocks Under $50 to Sell:

Lindblad Expeditions (LIND)

Share Price: $12.67

Founded by explorer Sven-Olof Lindblad in 1979, Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ: LIND) offers cruising experiences to remote destinations in partnership with National Geographic.

Why Is LIND Not Exciting?

  1. Responsiveness to unforeseen market trends is restricted due to its substandard operating margin profitability
  2. Earnings per share fell by 29.7% annually over the last five years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable
  3. Push for growth has led to negative returns on capital, signaling value destruction

Lindblad Expeditions’s stock price of $12.67 implies a valuation ratio of 6.1x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including LIND in your portfolio.

Ruger (RGR)

Share Price: $36.30

Founded in 1949, Ruger (NYSE: RGR) is an American manufacturer of firearms for the commercial sporting market.

Why Do We Pass on RGR?

  1. Products and services have few die-hard fans as sales have declined by 3.9% annually over the last two years
  2. Falling earnings per share over the last four 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

Ruger is trading at $36.30 per share, or 11.1x forward EV-to-EBITDA. If you’re considering RGR for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

One Stock Under $50 to Watch:

Byline Bancorp (BY)

Share Price: $28.11

Ranking as the fifth most active Small Business Administration lender in the country, Byline Bancorp (NYSE: BY) is a Chicago-based bank that provides banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, commercial real estate developers, and consumers.

Why Could BY Be a Winner?

  1. Annual net interest income growth of 12.5% over the past four years was outstanding, reflecting market share gains this cycle
  2. Differentiated product suite is reflected in its Strong performance of its loan book results in a High-yielding loan book and low cost of funds are reflected in its top-tier net interest margin of 4.1%
  3. Incremental sales significantly boosted profitability as its annual earnings per share growth of 17.3% over the last five years outstripped its revenue performance

At $28.11 per share, Byline Bancorp trades at 1x forward P/B. Is now a good time to buy? 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 5 Growth Stocks for this month. 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 Exlservice (+354% 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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