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

2 Momentum Stocks Worth Investigating and 1 Facing Challenges

CVLT Cover Image

Each stock in this article is trading near its 52-week high. These elevated prices usually indicate some degree of investor confidence, business improvements, or favorable market conditions.

However, not all companies with momentum are long-term winners, and many investors have lost money by following short-term trends. On that note, here are two stocks we think live up to the hype and one best left ignored.

One Stock to Sell:

Nature's Sunshine (NATR)

One-Month Return: +4.7%

Started on a kitchen table in Utah, Nature’s Sunshine (NASDAQ: NATR) manufactures and sells nutritional and personal care products.

Why Are We Cautious About NATR?

  1. Sales stagnated over the last three years and signal the need for new growth strategies
  2. Smaller revenue base of $460.8 million means it hasn’t achieved the economies of scale that some industry juggernauts enjoy
  3. Projected sales growth of 1.3% for the next 12 months suggests sluggish demand

At $17.04 per share, Nature's Sunshine trades at 21.4x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than NATR.

Two Stocks to Watch:

Commvault (CVLT)

One-Month Return: -5.3%

Born from the need to create ironclad protection in an increasingly dangerous digital world, Commvault (NASDAQ: CVLT) provides data protection and cyber resilience software that helps organizations secure, back up, and recover their data across on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.

Why Do We Like CVLT?

  1. Winning new contracts that can potentially increase in value as its billings growth has averaged 26.5% over the last year
  2. Prominent and differentiated software results in a stellar gross margin of 82%
  3. Highly efficient business model is illustrated by its impressive 7.6% operating margin

Commvault’s stock price of $182.50 implies a valuation ratio of 6.9x forward price-to-sales. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

ITT (ITT)

One-Month Return: +5%

Playing a crucial role in the development of the first transatlantic television transmission in 1956, ITT (NYSE: ITT) provides motion and fluid handling equipment for various industries

Why Are We Positive On ITT?

  1. Excellent operating margin of 16.4% highlights the efficiency of its business model, and its rise over the last five years was fueled by some leverage on its fixed costs
  2. Free cash flow margin expanded by 15.5 percentage points over the last five years, providing additional flexibility for investments and share buybacks/dividends
  3. Industry-leading 18.6% return on capital demonstrates management’s skill in finding high-return investments

ITT is trading at $178.47 per share, or 26.3x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

When Trump unveiled his aggressive tariff plan in April 2025, markets tanked as investors feared a full-blown trade war. But those who panicked and sold missed the subsequent rebound that’s already erased most losses.

Don’t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at 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 Comfort Systems (+782% 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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