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 $50 with Open Questions

ASAN 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. That said, here are three stocks under $50 to swipe left on and some alternatives you should look into instead.

Asana (ASAN)

Share Price: $14.30

Founded in 2008 by Facebook’s co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, Asana (NYSE: ASAN) is a cloud-based project management software, where you can plan and assign tasks to employees and monitor and discuss progress of work.

Why Are We Cautious About ASAN?

  1. Offerings struggled to generate meaningful interest as its average billings growth of 4.3% over the last year did not impress
  2. Competitive market dynamics make it difficult to retain customers, leading to a weak 96.3% net revenue retention rate
  3. Drawn-out sales process reflects its software’s integration hurdles with enterprise clients, restraining customer growth potential

Asana’s stock price of $14.30 implies a valuation ratio of 4.2x forward price-to-sales. If you’re considering ASAN for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Tenable (TENB)

Share Price: $30.73

Founded in 2002 by three cybersecurity veterans, Tenable (NASDAQ: TENB) provides software as a service that helps companies understand where they are exposed to cyber security risk and how to reduce it.

Why Do We Think Twice About TENB?

  1. Sales trends were unexciting over the last three years as its 15.8% annual growth was below the typical software company
  2. Estimated sales growth of 7.4% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend
  3. Capital intensity will likely increase as its free cash flow margin is anticipated to drop by 1.5 percentage points over the next year

At $30.73 per share, Tenable trades at 3.7x forward price-to-sales. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than TENB.

Dole (DOLE)

Share Price: $14.09

Known for its delicious pineapples and Hawaiian roots, Dole (NYSE: DOLE) is a global agricultural company specializing in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Why Do We Think DOLE Will Underperform?

  1. Annual revenue declines of 2% over the last three years indicate problems with its market positioning
  2. Anticipated sales growth of 1.9% for the next year implies demand will be shaky
  3. Easily substituted products (and therefore stiff competition) result in an inferior gross margin of 8.4% that must be offset through higher volumes

Dole is trading at $14.09 per share, or 10.2x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why DOLE doesn’t pass our bar.

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 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-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% 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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