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 Stock Under $50 to Target This Week and 2 We Ignore

IOT Cover Image

The $10-50 price range often includes mid-sized businesses with proven track records and plenty of growth runway ahead. They also usually carry less risk than penny stocks, though they’re not immune to volatility as many lack the scale advantages of their larger peers.

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 is one stock under $50 with huge potential and two best left ignored.

Two Stocks Under $50 to Sell:

Lovesac (LOVE)

Share Price: $18.47

Known for its oversized, premium beanbags, Lovesac (NASDAQ: LOVE) is a specialty furniture brand selling modular furniture.

Why Does LOVE Give Us Pause?

  1. Lackluster 1.7% annual revenue growth over the last two years indicates the company is losing ground to competitors
  2. Low free cash flow margin of 1% for the last two years gives it little breathing room, constraining its ability to self-fund growth or return capital to shareholders
  3. Waning returns on capital imply its previous profit engines are losing steam

Lovesac is trading at $18.47 per share, or 5.3x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than LOVE.

Newmark (NMRK)

Share Price: $18.63

Founded in 1929, Newmark (NASDAQ: NMRK) provides commercial real estate services, including leasing advisory, global corporate services, investment sales and capital markets, property and facilities management, valuation and advisory, and consulting.

Why Do We Avoid NMRK?

  1. 7.4% annual revenue growth over the last five years was slower than its consumer discretionary peers
  2. Lacking free cash flow generation means it has few chances to reinvest for growth, repurchase shares, or distribute capital
  3. Underwhelming 2.7% return on capital reflects management’s difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities

At $18.63 per share, Newmark trades at 11.8x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with NMRK, check out our full research report (it’s free).

One Stock Under $50 to Buy:

Samsara (IOT)

Share Price: $34.50

From sensors on vehicles to AI-powered cameras that help prevent accidents, Samsara (NYSE: IOT) is a cloud-based Internet of Things platform that helps businesses improve the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of their physical operations.

Why Are We Bullish on IOT?

  1. Customers view its software as mission-critical to their operations as its ARR has averaged 33.3% growth over the last year
  2. Expected revenue growth of 22.1% for the next year suggests its market share will rise
  3. Operating margin improvement of 19.2 percentage points over the last year demonstrates its ability to scale efficiently

Samsara’s stock price of $34.50 implies a valuation ratio of 12x forward price-to-sales. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

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 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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