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 Small-Cap Stocks Worth Your Attention and 1 Facing Challenges

BRZE Cover Image

Investors looking for hidden gems should keep an eye on small-cap stocks because they’re frequently overlooked by Wall Street. Many opportunities exist in this part of the market, but it is also a high-risk, high-reward environment due to the lack of reliable analyst price targets.

These trade-offs can cause headaches for even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you separate the good companies from the bad. Keeping that in mind, here are two small-cap stocks that could amplify your portfolio’s returns and one that may have trouble.

One Small-Cap Stock to Sell:

Oshkosh (OSK)

Market Cap: $9.12 billion

Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK) manufactures specialty vehicles for the defense, fire, emergency, and commercial industry, operating various brand subsidiaries within each industry.

Why Do We Think Twice About OSK?

  1. Backlog growth averaged a weak 1.3% over the past two years, suggesting it may need to tweak its product roadmap or go-to-market strategy
  2. High input costs result in an inferior gross margin of 16.4% that must be offset through higher volumes
  3. 7.3 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

At $142.45 per share, Oshkosh trades at 12.7x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including OSK in your portfolio.

Two Small-Cap Stocks to Watch:

Braze (BRZE)

Market Cap: $2.89 billion

With its technology powering interactions with 6.2 billion monthly active users across the digital landscape, Braze (NASDAQ: BRZE) provides a platform that helps brands build and maintain direct relationships with their customers through personalized, cross-channel messaging and engagement.

Why Do We Like BRZE?

  1. Customers view its software as mission-critical to their operations as its ARR has averaged 23.1% growth over the last year
  2. Estimated revenue growth of 18.5% for the next 12 months implies its momentum over the last three years will continue
  3. Operating margin improvement of 8.5 percentage points over the last year demonstrates its ability to scale efficiently

Braze is trading at $26.10 per share, or 3.7x forward price-to-sales. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Live Oak Bancshares (LOB)

Market Cap: $1.72 billion

Founded during the 2008 financial crisis with a vision to reimagine small business banking through technology, Live Oak Bancshares (NYSE: LOB) is a bank holding company that specializes in providing online banking services and SBA-guaranteed loans to small businesses across targeted industries nationwide.

Why Is LOB a Top Pick?

  1. Impressive 20.9% annual net interest income growth over the last five years indicates it’s winning market share this cycle
  2. Performance over the past five years shows its incremental sales were extremely profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 51.2% outpaced its revenue gains
  3. Impressive 11.4% annual tangible book value per share growth over the last five years indicates it’s building equity value this cycle

Live Oak Bancshares’s stock price of $37.70 implies a valuation ratio of 1.5x forward P/B. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our in-depth 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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