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

2 Mid-Cap Stocks on Our Watchlist and 1 Facing Headwinds

TOST Cover Image

Mid-cap stocks often strike the right balance between having proven business models and market opportunities that can support $100 billion corporations. However, they face intense competition from scaled industry giants and can be disrupted by new innovative players vying for a slice of the pie.

These dynamics can rattle even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you separate the good companies from the bad. That said, here are two mid-cap stocks with long growth runways and one that could be down big.

One Mid-Cap Stock to Sell:

Gartner (IT)

Market Cap: $18.76 billion

With over 2,500 research experts guiding organizations through complex technology landscapes, Gartner (NYSE: IT) provides research, advisory services, and conferences that help executives make better decisions about technology and other business priorities.

Why Do We Think Twice About IT?

  1. Estimated sales growth of 2.9% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its two-year trend
  2. Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 3.3 percentage points

Gartner is trading at $247.73 per share, or 19.2x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why IT doesn’t pass our bar.

Two Mid-Cap Stocks to Watch:

Toast (TOST)

Market Cap: $26.21 billion

Born from the frustrations of three friends waiting too long for their restaurant bill, Toast (NYSE: TOST) provides a cloud-based digital technology platform with software, payment processing, and hardware solutions built specifically for restaurants.

Why Do We Like TOST?

  1. Customers view its software as mission-critical to their operations as its ARR has averaged 30.8% growth over the last year
  2. Estimated revenue growth of 21% for the next 12 months implies its momentum over the last three years will continue
  3. Operating margin improvement of 7.2 percentage points over the last year demonstrates its ability to scale efficiently

At $44.75 per share, Toast trades at 4.1x forward price-to-sales. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

Comfort Systems (FIX)

Market Cap: $25.7 billion

Formed through the merger of 12 companies, Comfort Systems (NYSE: FIX) provides mechanical and electrical contracting services.

Why Will FIX Beat the Market?

  1. Demand is greater than supply as the company’s 29.5% average backlog growth over the past two years shows it’s securing new contracts and accumulating more orders than it can fulfill
  2. Performance over the past two years was turbocharged by share buybacks, which enabled its earnings per share to grow faster than its revenue
  3. Returns on capital are climbing as management makes more lucrative bets

Comfort Systems’s stock price of $732.51 implies a valuation ratio of 36.6x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

When Trump unveiled his aggressive tariff plan in April 2025, markets tanked as investors feared a full-blown trade war. But those who panicked and sold missed the subsequent rebound that’s already erased most losses.

Don’t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at 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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