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

3 Cash-Producing Stocks with Open Questions

LSCC Cover Image

While strong cash flow is a key indicator of stability, it doesn’t always translate to superior returns. Some cash-heavy businesses struggle with inefficient spending, slowing demand, or weak competitive positioning.

Not all companies are created equal, and StockStory is here to surface the ones with real upside. That said, here are three cash-producing companies to steer clear of and a few better alternatives.

Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 27.3%

A global leader in its category, Lattice Semiconductor (NASDAQ: LSCC) is a semiconductor designer specializing in customer-programmable chips that enhance CPU performance for intensive tasks such as machine learning.

Why Does LSCC Give Us Pause?

  1. Annual sales declines of 17.8% for the past two years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market during this cycle
  2. Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 15 percentage points
  3. Earnings per share lagged its peers over the last five years as they only grew by 5.2% annually

At $62.82 per share, Lattice Semiconductor trades at 50.6x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why LSCC doesn’t pass our bar.

Genuine Parts (GPC)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 1.1%

Largely targeting the professional customer, Genuine Parts (NYSE: GPC) sells auto and industrial parts such as batteries, belts, bearings, and machine fluids.

Why Is GPC Not Exciting?

  1. Sizable revenue base leads to growth challenges as its 4.7% annual revenue increases over the last six years fell short of other consumer retail companies
  2. Poor same-store sales performance over the past two years indicates it’s having trouble bringing new shoppers into its brick-and-mortar locations
  3. Free cash flow margin shrank by 3.4 percentage points over the last year, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive

Genuine Parts is trading at $137.80 per share, or 16.9x forward P/E. If you’re considering GPC for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Haemonetics (HAE)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 14.1%

With roots dating back to 1971 and a mission to improve blood-related healthcare, Haemonetics (NYSE: HAE) provides specialized medical devices and software for blood collection, processing, and management across plasma centers, blood banks, and hospitals.

Why Does HAE Fall Short?

  1. Organic revenue growth fell short of our benchmarks over the past two years and implies it may need to improve its products, pricing, or go-to-market strategy
  2. Smaller revenue base of $1.35 billion means it hasn’t achieved the economies of scale that some industry juggernauts enjoy
  3. Sales are projected to tank by 2.9% over the next 12 months as demand evaporates

Haemonetics’s stock price of $53.90 implies a valuation ratio of 10.7x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with HAE, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Stocks We Like 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 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 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

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