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.

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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

3 Industrials Stocks That Concern Us

TKR Cover Image

Even if they go mostly unnoticed, industrial businesses are the backbone of our country. They are also bound to benefit from a friendlier regulatory environment with the Trump administration, and this excitement has led to a six-month gain of 21.8% for the sector - higher than the S&P 500’s 16% return.

Nevertheless, investors must be mindful as the cycle can unexpectedly turn. When this inevitably happens, only the elite companies will survive and ultimately thrive. Taking that into account, here are three industrials stocks best left ignored.

Timken (TKR)

Market Cap: $5.30 billion

Established after the founder noticed the difficulty freight wagons had making sharp turns, Timken (NYSE: TKR) is a provider of industrial parts used across various sectors.

Why Should You Dump TKR?

  1. Organic sales performance over the past two years indicates the company may need to make strategic adjustments or rely on M&A to catalyze faster growth
  2. Estimated sales for the next 12 months are flat and imply a softer demand environment
  3. Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last two years, showing each sale was less profitable

Timken’s stock price of $76.14 implies a valuation ratio of 12.8x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why TKR doesn’t pass our bar.

GATX (GATX)

Market Cap: $5.99 billion

Originally founded to ship beer, GATX (NYSE: GATX) provides leasing and management services for railcars and other transportation assets globally.

Why Are We Wary of GATX?

  1. Sluggish trends in its active railcars suggest customers aren’t adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped
  2. Cash burn makes us question whether it can achieve sustainable long-term growth
  3. Limited cash reserves may force the company to seek unfavorable financing terms that could dilute shareholders

At $168.08 per share, GATX trades at 18.3x forward P/E. If you’re considering GATX for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Vulcan Materials (VMC)

Market Cap: $38.64 billion

Founded in 1909, Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC) is a producer of construction aggregates, primarily crushed stone, sand, and gravel.

Why Does VMC Fall Short?

  1. Sales stagnated over the last two years and signal the need for new growth strategies
  2. Sluggish trends in its tons shipped suggest customers aren’t adopting its solutions as quickly as the company hoped
  3. Gross margin of 25% is below its competitors, leaving less money to invest in areas like marketing and R&D

Vulcan Materials is trading at $290.40 per share, or 32.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than VMC.

Stocks We Like 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. 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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