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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Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

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 Stocks Under $10 with Questionable Fundamentals

CXM Cover Image

Investors can certainly boost their returns by concentrating on stocks trading between $1 and $10. However, a disciplined approach is necessary because many of these businesses are speculative and lack the underlying fundamentals to support their prices.

The downside that can come from buying these securities is precisely why we started StockStory - to isolate the long-term winners from the losers so you can invest with confidence. Keeping that in mind, here are three stocks under $10 to swipe left on and some alternatives you should look into instead.

Sprinklr (CXM)

Share Price: $8.75

With a proprietary AI engine processing 450 million data points daily across 30+ digital channels, Sprinklr (NYSE: CXM) provides cloud-based software that helps large enterprises manage customer experiences across social, messaging, chat, and voice channels.

Why Do We Think CXM Will Underperform?

  1. Average billings growth of 4% over the last year was subpar, suggesting it struggled to push its software and might have to lower prices to stimulate demand
  2. Estimated sales growth of 3.4% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend
  3. Expenses have increased as a percentage of revenue over the last year as its operating margin fell by 3.6 percentage points

Sprinklr’s stock price of $8.75 implies a valuation ratio of 2.7x forward price-to-sales. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than CXM.

Shoals (SHLS)

Share Price: $6.56

Started in Huntsville, Alabama, Shoals (NASDAQ: SHLS) designs and manufactures products that make solar energy systems work more efficiently.

Why Should You Dump SHLS?

  1. Backlog growth averaged a weak 3.3% over the past two years, suggesting it may need to tweak its product roadmap or go-to-market strategy
  2. Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 5.8 percentage points
  3. Diminishing returns on capital from an already low starting point show that neither management’s prior nor current bets are going as planned

Shoals is trading at $6.56 per share, or 14.8x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why SHLS doesn’t pass our bar.

FuelCell Energy (FCEL)

Share Price: $4.38

Founded in 1969, FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL) is a leading manufacturer and developer of carbonate fuel cell technology for stationary power generation.

Why Is FCEL Not Exciting?

  1. Average backlog growth of 6.2% over the past two years was mediocre and suggests fewer customers signed long-term contracts
  2. Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 31 percentage points
  3. Depletion of cash reserves could lead to a fundraising event that triggers shareholder dilution

At $4.38 per share, FuelCell Energy trades at 0.5x forward price-to-sales. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including FCEL in your portfolio.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

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 6 Stocks for this week. 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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