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

1 Small-Cap Stock for Long-Term Investors and 2 We Avoid

COUR 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.

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 be the next big thing and two best left ignored.

Two Small-Cap Stocks to Sell:

Coursera (COUR)

Market Cap: $1.98 billion

Founded by two Stanford University computer science professors, Coursera (NYSE: COUR) is an online learning platform that offers courses, specializations, and degrees from top universities and organizations around the world.

Why Are We Wary of COUR?

  1. Focus on expanding its platform came at the expense of monetization as its average revenue per customer fell by 6.4% annually
  2. Estimated sales growth of 5.6% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend
  3. High marketing expenses suggest it needs to spend heavily on new customer acquisition to sustain momentum

Coursera’s stock price of $12.09 implies a valuation ratio of 37.9x forward EV/EBITDA. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than COUR.

Omnicell (OMCL)

Market Cap: $1.43 billion

Driven by the vision of an "Autonomous Pharmacy" with zero medication errors, Omnicell (NASDAQ: OMCL) provides medication management automation and adherence tools that help healthcare systems and pharmacies reduce errors and improve efficiency.

Why Should You Dump OMCL?

  1. Sales tumbled by 3.5% annually over the last two years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
  2. Incremental sales over the last five years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 6.1% annually while its revenue grew
  3. 13.1 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

Omnicell is trading at $30.64 per share, or 21.5x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with OMCL, check out our full research report (it’s free).

One Small-Cap Stock to Buy:

Customers Bancorp (CUBI)

Market Cap: $1.93 billion

Originally founded with a "high-tech, high-touch" branch-light banking strategy, Customers Bancorp (NYSE: CUBI) is a bank holding company that provides commercial and consumer banking services through its Customers Bank subsidiary, with a focus on business lending and digital banking.

Why Are We Backing CUBI?

  1. Market share has increased this cycle as its 14.7% annual net interest income growth over the last five years was exceptional
  2. Incremental sales significantly boosted profitability as its annual earnings per share growth of 20.7% over the last five years outstripped its revenue performance
  3. Balance sheet strength has increased this cycle as its 18% annual tangible book value per share growth over the last five years was exceptional

At $61.21 per share, Customers Bancorp trades at 1.1x forward P/B. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Donald Trump’s April 2024 "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 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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