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 of Wall Street’s Favorite Stock with Solid Fundamentals and 2 We Avoid

CPNG Cover Image

Wall Street is overwhelmingly bullish on the stocks in this article, with price targets suggesting significant upside potential. However, it’s worth remembering that analysts rarely issue sell ratings, partly because their firms often seek other business from the same companies they cover.

Unlike the investment banks, we created StockStory to provide independent analysis that helps you determine which companies are truly worth following. That said, here is one stock where Wall Street’s excitement appears well-founded and two where consensus estimates seem disconnected from reality.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Transcat (TRNS)

Consensus Price Target: $96.69 (18.9% implied return)

Serving the pharmaceutical, industrial manufacturing, energy, and chemical process industries, Transcat (NASDAQ: TRNS) provides measurement instruments and supplies.

Why Do We Think Twice About TRNS?

  1. Efficiency has decreased over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 1.7 percentage points
  2. Low returns on capital reflect management’s struggle to allocate funds effectively, and its falling returns suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up
  3. Waning returns on capital from an already weak starting point displays the inefficacy of management’s past and current investment decisions

Transcat’s stock price of $81.35 implies a valuation ratio of 22.9x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than TRNS.

United Parcel Service (UPS)

Consensus Price Target: $105.37 (20.9% implied return)

Trademarking its recognizable UPS Brown color, UPS (NYSE: UPS) offers package delivery, supply chain management, and freight forwarding services.

Why Should You Sell UPS?

  1. Declining unit sales over the past two years show it’s struggled to increase its sales volumes and had to rely on price increases
  2. Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last two years, showing each sale was less profitable
  3. Shrinking returns on capital suggest that increasing competition is eating into the company’s profitability

At $87.16 per share, United Parcel Service trades at 11.7x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with UPS, check out our full research report (it’s free).

One Stock to Watch:

Coupang (CPNG)

Consensus Price Target: $33.81 (20.9% implied return)

Founded in 2010 by Harvard Business School student Bom Kim, Coupang (NYSE: CPNG) is an e-commerce giant often referred to as the "Amazon of South Korea".

Why Are We Fans of CPNG?

  1. Active Customers are rising, meaning the company can increase revenue without incurring additional customer acquisition costs if it can cross-sell additional products and features
  2. Incremental sales significantly boosted profitability as its annual earnings per share growth of 32% over the last three years outstripped its revenue performance
  3. Free cash flow margin jumped by 8 percentage points over the last few years, giving the company more resources to pursue growth initiatives, repurchase shares, or pay dividends

Coupang is trading at $27.96 per share, or 25.2x forward EV/EBITDA. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

When Trump unveiled his aggressive tariff plan in April 2025, markets tanked as investors feared a full-blown trade war. But those who panicked and sold missed the subsequent rebound that’s already erased most losses.

Don’t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at 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-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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