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 Stocks Under $50 We Keep Off Our Radar

FROG 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.

These dynamics can cause headaches for even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you separate the good companies from the bad. Keeping that in mind, here are three stocks under $50 to swipe left on and some alternatives you should look into instead.

JFrog (FROG)

Share Price: $47.88

Named after the amphibian that continuously evolves from egg to tadpole to adult, JFrog (NASDAQ: FROG) provides a platform that helps organizations securely create, store, manage, and distribute software packages across any system.

Why Are We Cautious About FROG?

  1. Operating losses show it sacrificed profitability while scaling the business
  2. Capital intensity will likely ramp up in the next year as its free cash flow margin is expected to contract by 8.9 percentage points

JFrog is trading at $47.88 per share, or 10.1x forward price-to-sales. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than FROG.

BJ's (BJRI)

Share Price: $30.18

Founded in 1978 in California, BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ: BJRI) is a chain of restaurants whose menu features classic American dishes, often with a twist.

Why Do We Steer Clear of BJRI?

  1. Disappointing same-store sales over the past two years show customers aren’t responding well to its menu offerings and dining experience
  2. Lacking pricing power results in an inferior gross margin of 14.7% that must be offset by turning more tables
  3. Underwhelming 2.6% return on capital reflects management’s difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities

At $30.18 per share, BJ's trades at 14.3x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including BJRI in your portfolio.

Capital Southwest (CSWC)

Share Price: $22.83

Originally founded in 1961 as a venture capital investor that helped launch Texas Instruments, Capital Southwest (NASDAQ: CSWC) is a business development company that provides debt and equity financing to middle-market companies primarily in the United States.

Why Does CSWC Fall Short?

  1. Performance over the past two years shows its incremental sales were less profitable as its earnings per share were flat

Capital Southwest’s stock price of $22.83 implies a valuation ratio of 9.8x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why CSWC doesn’t pass our bar.

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 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-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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