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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Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

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 Profitable Stocks We Steer Clear Of

ON Cover Image

Even if a company is profitable, it doesn’t always mean it’s a great investment. Some struggle to maintain growth, face looming threats, or fail to reinvest wisely, limiting their future potential.

A business making money today isn’t necessarily a winner, which is why we analyze companies across multiple dimensions at StockStory. Keeping that in mind, here are three profitable companies to avoid and some better opportunities instead.

onsemi (ON)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 7.4%

Spun out of Motorola in 1999 and built through a series of acquisitions, onsemi (NASDAQ: ON) is a global provider of analog chips specializing in autos, industrial applications, and power management in cloud data centers.

Why Does ON Give Us Pause?

  1. Products and services are facing significant end-market challenges during this cycle as sales have declined by 12.5% annually over the last two years
  2. Projected sales decline of 4.5% over the next 12 months indicates demand will continue deteriorating
  3. Costs have risen faster than its revenue over the last five years, causing its operating margin to decline by 4.3 percentage points

At $51.09 per share, onsemi trades at 19.6x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than ON.

Otis (OTIS)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 13.1%

Credited with inventing the first hydraulic passenger elevator, Otis Worldwide (NYSE: OTIS) is an elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company.

Why Are We Wary of OTIS?

  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. Projected sales growth of 4.1% for the next 12 months suggests sluggish demand
  3. 1.9 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

Otis’s stock price of $87.62 implies a valuation ratio of 20.2x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with OTIS, check out our full research report (it’s free).

Norfolk Southern (NSC)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 41.5%

Starting with a single route from Virginia to North Carolina, Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) is a freight transportation company operating a major railroad network across the eastern United States.

Why Do We Think NSC Will Underperform?

  1. Underwhelming 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 have contracted by 4.5% annually over the last two years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance
  3. Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 7.8 percentage points

Norfolk Southern is trading at $280.79 per share, or 20.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than NSC.

Stocks We Like More

Trump’s April 2025 tariff bombshell triggered a massive market selloff, but stocks have since staged an impressive recovery, leaving those who panic sold on the sidelines.

Take advantage of the rebound by checking out our 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-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

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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