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.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

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

Why Is Elastic (ESTC) Stock Soaring Today

ESTC Cover Image

What Happened?

Shares of search AI platform provider Elastic (NYSE: ESTC) jumped 6.4% in the afternoon session after investors reacted to positive sentiment from Wall Street analysts. The move appears to be influenced by recent analyst ratings that suggest significant potential upside for the company. Based on the ratings of 29 analysts, Elastic has a consensus price target of $118.38. More specifically, the three most recent ratings from firms including Jefferies, DA Davidson, and Canaccord Genuity imply an average upside of over 35% from the stock's recent price. This bullish consensus from financial analysts is likely bolstering investor confidence in the company's value and future performance.

The shares closed the day at $92.31, up 6.4% from previous close.

Is now the time to buy Elastic? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.

What Is The Market Telling Us

Elastic’s shares are quite volatile and have had 18 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 3 days ago when the stock gained 2.1% on the news that the company highlighted strong growth in its search business, driven by artificial intelligence, during a presentation at Citi's 2025 Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference. During the event, a company executive noted that search has become the fastest-growing part of Elastic's business. This acceleration is attributed to the significant tailwinds from AI. The executive also mentioned that the advancements in their search capabilities are enhancing their competitive standing in the observability and security markets. Investors appear to have reacted positively to the commentary, which suggests that the adoption of AI is directly benefiting the company's core operations and growth trajectory.

Elastic is down 6.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $92.30 per share, it is trading 21.6% below its 52-week high of $117.76 from February 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Elastic’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $925.04.

Today’s young investors won’t have read the timeless lessons in Gorilla Game: Picking Winners In High Technology because it was written more than 20 years ago when Microsoft and Apple were first establishing their supremacy. But if we apply the same principles, then enterprise software stocks leveraging their own generative AI capabilities may well be the Gorillas of the future. So, in that spirit, we are excited to present our Special Free Report on a profitable, fast-growing enterprise software stock that is already riding the automation wave and looking to catch the generative AI next.

Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.