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 Small-Cap Stock with Exciting Potential and 2 Facing Headwinds

CXM Cover Image

Many small-cap stocks have limited Wall Street coverage, giving savvy investors the chance to act before everyone else catches on. But the flip side is that these businesses have increased downside risk because they lack the scale and staying power of their larger competitors.

Luckily for you, our mission at StockStory is to help you make money and avoid losses by sorting the winners from the losers. Keeping that in mind, here is one small-cap stock that could amplify your portfolio’s returns and two best left ignored.

Two Small-Cap Stocks to Sell:

Sprinklr (CXM)

Market Cap: $2.22 billion

Initially focused only on social media management, Sprinklr (NYSE: CXM) is a leading provider of unified customer experience management software.

Why Is CXM Risky?

  1. Offerings struggled to generate meaningful interest as its average billings growth of 4% over the last year did not impress
  2. Estimated sales growth of 3.4% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend
  3. Costs have risen faster than its revenue over the last year, causing its operating margin to decline by 3.6 percentage points

Sprinklr’s stock price of $8.59 implies a valuation ratio of 2.6x forward price-to-sales. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than CXM.

The ONE Group (STKS)

Market Cap: $91.89 million

Doubling as a hospitality services provider for hotels and resorts, The One Group Hospitality (NASDAQ: STKS) is an upscale restaurant company that operates STK Steakhouse and Kona Grill.

Why Do We Think STKS Will Underperform?

  1. Poor same-store sales performance over the past two years indicates it’s having trouble bringing new diners into its restaurants
  2. Earnings per share have dipped by 19.6% annually over the past five years, which is concerning because stock prices follow EPS over the long term
  3. 7× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio makes lenders less willing to extend additional capital, potentially necessitating dilutive equity offerings

The ONE Group is trading at $2.90 per share, or 0.9x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including STKS in your portfolio.

One Small-Cap Stock to Watch:

FTAI Infrastructure (FIP)

Market Cap: $726.4 million

Spun off from FTAI Aviation in 2021, FTAI Infrastructure (NASDAQ: FIP) invests in and operates infrastructure and related assets across the transportation and energy sectors.

Why Are We Positive On FIP?

  1. Market share has increased this cycle as its 47.8% annual revenue growth over the last three years was exceptional
  2. Demand for the next 12 months is expected to accelerate above its two-year trend as Wall Street forecasts robust revenue growth of 78.2%

At $6.33 per share, FTAI Infrastructure trades at 2.7x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Is now a good time to buy? 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 5 Strong Momentum 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.

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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