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.

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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 Volatile Stock with Impressive Fundamentals and 2 That Underwhelm

PINS Cover Image

Volatility cuts both ways - while it creates opportunities, it also increases risk, making sharp declines just as likely as big gains. This unpredictability can shake out even the most experienced investors.

At StockStory, our job is to help you avoid costly mistakes and stay on the right side of the trade. That said, here is one volatile stock that could deliver huge gains and two that could just as easily collapse.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Oshkosh (OSK)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.45

Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK) manufactures specialty vehicles for the defense, fire, emergency, and commercial industry, operating various brand subsidiaries within each industry.

Why Is OSK Not Exciting?

  1. New orders were hard to come by as its average backlog growth of 1.3% over the past two years underwhelmed
  2. Gross margin of 16.4% reflects its high production costs
  3. 7.3 percentage point decline in its free cash flow margin over the last five years reflects the company’s increased investments to defend its market position

Oshkosh is trading at $134.36 per share, or 12x forward P/E. If you’re considering OSK for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Xerox (XRX)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 2.15

Pioneering the modern office copier and inventing technologies like Ethernet and the laser printer, Xerox (NASDAQ: XRX) provides document management systems, printing technology, and workplace solutions to businesses of all sizes across the globe.

Why Do We Think XRX Will Underperform?

  1. Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 4.9% annually over the last five years
  2. Waning returns on capital from an already weak starting point displays the inefficacy of management’s past and current investment decisions
  3. 8× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio shows it’s overleveraged and increases the probability of shareholder dilution if things turn unexpectedly

Xerox’s stock price of $4.17 implies a valuation ratio of 2.7x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than XRX.

One Stock to Buy:

Pinterest (PINS)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.28

Created with the idea of virtually replacing paper catalogues, Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) is an online image and social discovery platform.

Why Are We Backing PINS?

  1. Monthly Active Users are rising, meaning the company can increase revenue without incurring additional customer acquisition costs if it can cross-sell additional products and features
  2. Highly efficient business model is illustrated by its impressive 27.8% EBITDA margin, and its rise over the last few years was fueled by some leverage on its fixed costs
  3. Strong free cash flow margin of 25.6% enables it to reinvest or return capital consistently, and its improved cash conversion implies it’s becoming a less capital-intensive business

At $35.45 per share, Pinterest trades at 18.3x forward EV/EBITDA. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Donald Trump’s April 2025 "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 5 Strong Momentum 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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