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.

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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

2 Mid-Cap Stocks to Keep an Eye On and 1 We Turn Down

DKNG Cover Image

Many investors pay attention to mid-cap stocks because they have established business models and expansive market opportunities. However, their paths to becoming $100 billion corporations are ripe with competition, ranging from giants with vast resources to agile upstarts eager to disrupt the status quo.

This is precisely where StockStory comes in - we do the heavy lifting to identify companies with solid fundamentals so you can invest with confidence. Keeping that in mind, here are two mid-cap stocks with long growth runways and one best left ignored.

One Mid-Cap Stock to Sell:

WESCO (WCC)

Market Cap: $10.21 billion

Based in Pittsburgh, WESCO (NYSE: WCC) provides electrical, industrial, and communications products and augments them with services such as supply chain management.

Why Are We Cautious About WCC?

  1. Absence of organic revenue growth over the past two years suggests it may have to lean into acquisitions to drive its expansion
  2. Falling earnings per share over the last two years has some investors worried as stock prices ultimately follow EPS over the long term
  3. Low free cash flow margin of 2% for the last five years gives it little breathing room, constraining its ability to self-fund growth or return capital to shareholders

WESCO is trading at $209.86 per share, or 14x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including WCC in your portfolio.

Two Mid-Cap Stocks to Watch:

DraftKings (DKNG)

Market Cap: $22.69 billion

Getting its start in daily fantasy sports, DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company.

Why Do We Like DKNG?

  1. Increase in monthly unique players shows customers are eagerly embracing its offerings
  2. Notable projected revenue growth of 27.8% for the next 12 months hints at market share gains
  3. Earnings per share have massively outperformed its peers over the last five years, increasing by 22.2% annually

At $45.80 per share, DraftKings trades at 22.4x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Leidos (LDOS)

Market Cap: $22.85 billion

Formed through the split of IT services company SAIC, Leidos (NYSE: LDOS) offers technology and engineering solutions such as military training systems for the defense, civil, and health markets.

Why Does LDOS Stand Out?

  1. Demand is greater than supply as the company’s 15.7% average backlog growth over the past two years shows it’s securing new contracts and accumulating more orders than it can fulfill
  2. Operating profits and efficiency rose over the last five years as it benefited from some fixed cost leverage
  3. Share buybacks catapulted its annual earnings per share growth to 31%, which outperformed its revenue gains over the last two years

Leidos’s stock price of $178 implies a valuation ratio of 16.2x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even 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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