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

1 Mid-Cap Stock Worth Your Attention and 2 We Find Risky

EXPE Cover Image

Many investors pay attention to mid-cap stocks because they have established business models and expansive market opportunities. However, their paths to becoming $100 billion corporations are ripe with competition, ranging from giants with vast resources to agile upstarts eager to disrupt the status quo.

Luckily for you, our mission at StockStory is to help you make money and avoid losses by sorting the winners from the losers. Keeping that in mind, here is one mid-cap stock with huge upside potential and two that could be down big.

Two Mid-Cap Stocks to Sell:

Expedia (EXPE)

Market Cap: $26.57 billion

Originally founded as a part of Microsoft, Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) is one of the world’s leading online travel agencies.

Why Does EXPE Give Us Pause?

  1. Focus on expanding its platform came at the expense of monetization as its average revenue per booking fell by 1.5% annually
  2. Estimated sales growth of 5.3% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend
  3. Highly competitive market means it’s on the never-ending treadmill of sales and marketing spend

Expedia is trading at $216.18 per share, or 8.6x forward EV/EBITDA. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why EXPE doesn’t pass our bar.

Huntington Ingalls (HII)

Market Cap: $10.63 billion

Building Nimitz-class aircraft carriers used in active service, Huntington Ingalls (NYSE: HII) develops marine vessels and their mission systems and maintenance services.

Why Do We Pass on HII?

  1. Backlog growth averaged a weak 4% over the past two years, suggesting it may need to tweak its product roadmap or go-to-market strategy
  2. Incremental sales over the last five years were less profitable as its earnings per share were flat while its revenue grew
  3. Diminishing returns on capital suggest its earlier profit pools are drying up

At $270.79 per share, Huntington Ingalls trades at 17.8x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with HII, check out our full research report (it’s free).

One Mid-Cap Stock to Buy:

Tradeweb Markets (TW)

Market Cap: $26.32 billion

Founded in 1996 as one of the pioneers in electronic bond trading, Tradeweb Markets (NASDAQ: TW) builds and operates electronic marketplaces that connect financial institutions for trading across rates, credit, equities, and money markets.

Why Will TW Beat the Market?

  1. Impressive 25.9% annual revenue growth over the last two years indicates it’s winning market share this cycle
  2. Incremental sales over the last two years have been highly profitable as its earnings per share increased by 27.5% annually, topping its revenue gains

Tradeweb Markets’s stock price of $123.36 implies a valuation ratio of 34.1x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? 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 Exlservice (+354% 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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