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

1 Unprofitable Stock with Competitive Advantages and 2 Facing Headwinds

OLO Cover Image

Unprofitable companies face headwinds as they struggle to keep operating expenses under control. Some may be investing heavily, but the majority fail to convert spending into sustainable growth.

Unprofitable companies face an uphill battle, but not all are created equal. Luckily for you, StockStory is here to separate the promising ones from the weak. Keeping that in mind, here is one unprofitable company that could turn today’s losses into long-term gains and two that could struggle to survive.

Two Stocks to Sell:

Flywire (FLYW)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: -1%

Initially created to solve the challenges of international student tuition payments, Flywire (NASDAQ: FLYW) provides specialized payment processing and software solutions that help educational institutions, healthcare systems, travel companies, and businesses manage complex payments.

Why Does FLYW Fall Short?

  1. High servicing costs result in a relatively inferior gross margin of 62.9% that must be offset through increased usage
  2. Competitive market means the company must spend more on sales and marketing to stand out even if the return on investment is low
  3. Operating margin improvement of 3.5 percentage points over the last year demonstrates its ability to scale efficiently

At $13.56 per share, Flywire trades at 2.6x forward price-to-sales. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including FLYW in your portfolio.

Affirm (AFRM)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: -2.7%

Founded by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin with a mission to create honest financial products, Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM) provides a payment network that allows consumers to make purchases and pay for them over time with transparent, flexible installment loans.

Why Do We Think Twice About AFRM?

  1. Negative return on equity shows that some of its growth strategies have backfired
  2. 7× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio shows it’s overleveraged and increases the probability of shareholder dilution if things turn unexpectedly

Affirm is trading at $90.28 per share, or 38.1x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why AFRM doesn’t pass our bar.

One Stock to Watch:

Olo (OLO)

Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: -5.5%

Processing over two million orders daily across 80,000 restaurant locations nationwide, Olo (NYSE: OLO) provides an enterprise-grade SaaS platform that powers digital ordering, delivery, and payment systems for restaurant brands across the United States.

Why Are We Fans of OLO?

  1. Billings growth has averaged 23.4% over the last year, indicating a healthy pipeline of new contracts that should drive future revenue increases
  2. Estimated revenue growth of 17.1% for the next 12 months implies its momentum over the last two years will continue
  3. User-friendly software enables clients to ramp up spending quickly, leading to the speedy recovery of customer acquisition costs

Olo’s stock price of $10.26 implies a valuation ratio of 5.1x forward price-to-sales. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

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 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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