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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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 Cash-Producing Stocks We Approach with Caution

GETY Cover Image

Generating cash is essential for any business, but not all cash-rich companies are great investments. Some produce plenty of cash but fail to allocate it effectively, leading to missed opportunities.

Not all companies are created equal, and StockStory is here to surface the ones with real upside. Keeping that in mind, here are three cash-producing companies to avoid and some better opportunities instead.

Getty Images (GETY)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 1.4%

With a vast library of over 562 million visual assets documenting everything from breaking news to iconic historical moments, Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a global visual content marketplace that licenses photos, videos, illustrations, and music to businesses, media outlets, and creative professionals.

Why Should You Sell GETY?

  1. Sales trends were unexciting over the last two years as its 1.3% annual growth was below the typical business services company
  2. Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its adjusted operating margin fell by 3.9 percentage points
  3. 12.1 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

Getty Images is trading at $2.08 per share, or 2.9x forward EV-to-EBITDA. If you’re considering GETY for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

Wabash (WNC)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 2%

With its first trailer reportedly built on two sawhorses, Wabash (NYSE: WNC) offers semi trailers, liquid transportation containers, truck bodies, and equipment for moving goods.

Why Do We Pass on WNC?

  1. Product roadmap and go-to-market strategy need to be reconsidered as its backlog has averaged 36.2% declines over the past two years
  2. Performance over the past five years shows each sale was less profitable as its earnings per share dropped by 22.3% annually, worse than its revenue
  3. High net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 8× increases the risk of forced asset sales or dilutive financing if operational performance weakens

At $11.37 per share, Wabash trades at 15.2x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including WNC in your portfolio.

Cadre (CDRE)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 5.8%

Originally known as Safariland, Cadre (NYSE: CDRE) specializes in manufacturing and distributing safety and survivability equipment for first responders.

Why Are We Hesitant About CDRE?

  1. Efficiency has decreased over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 1.7 percentage points
  2. Earnings per share were flat over the last four years and fell short of the peer group average
  3. Free cash flow margin dropped by 7 percentage points over the last five years, implying the company became more capital intensive as competition picked up

Cadre’s stock price of $32.77 implies a valuation ratio of 22x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why CDRE doesn’t pass our bar.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

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 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-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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