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 Value Stocks with Open Questions

TNC Cover Image

Value stocks typically trade at discounts to the broader market, offering patient investors the opportunity to buy businesses when they’re out of favor. The key risk, however, is that these stocks are usually cheap for a reason – five cents for a piece of fruit may seem like a great deal until you find out it’s rotten.

Separating the winners from the value traps is a tough challenge, and that’s where StockStory comes in. Our job is to find you high-quality companies that will stand the test of time. That said, here are three value stocks with poor fundamentals and some alternatives you should consider instead.

Tennant (TNC)

Forward P/E Ratio: 13.7x

As the world’s largest manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots, Tennant (NYSE: TNC) designs, manufactures, and sells cleaning products to various sectors.

Why Should You Sell TNC?

  1. Muted 3% annual revenue growth over the last two years shows its demand lagged behind its industrials peers
  2. Performance over the past two years shows its incremental sales were much less profitable, as its earnings per share fell by 2.1% annually
  3. Free cash flow margin shrank by 4.4 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive

Tennant is trading at $83.25 per share, or 13.7x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why TNC doesn’t pass our bar.

Apogee (APOG)

Forward P/E Ratio: 10.9x

Involved in the design of the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, Apogee (NASDAQ: APOG) sells architectural products and services such as high-performance glass for commercial buildings.

Why Are We Out on APOG?

  1. Sales tumbled by 2.4% annually over the last two years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
  2. Anticipated sales growth of 3% for the next year implies demand will be shaky
  3. Flat earnings per share over the last two years underperformed the sector average

Apogee’s stock price of $45.18 implies a valuation ratio of 10.9x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with APOG, check out our full research report (it’s free).

KB Home (KBH)

Forward P/E Ratio: 9.3x

The first homebuilder to be listed on the NYSE, KB Home (NYSE: KB) is a homebuilding company targeting the first-time home buyer and move-up buyer markets.

Why Do We Think KBH Will Underperform?

  1. Product roadmap and go-to-market strategy need to be reconsidered as its backlog has averaged 20.8% declines over the past two years
  2. Sales are projected to tank by 10.4% over the next 12 months as its demand continues evaporating
  3. Sales were less profitable over the last two years as its earnings per share fell by 7.5% annually, worse than its revenue declines

At $65 per share, KB Home trades at 9.3x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including KBH in your portfolio.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

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 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 Tecnoglass (+1,754% 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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