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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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

2 Stocks Under $50 with Promising Prospects and 1 Facing Challenges

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Stocks trading between $10 and $50 can be particularly interesting as they frequently represent businesses that have survived their early challenges. However, investors should remain vigilant as some may still have unproven business models, leaving them vulnerable to the ebbs and flows of the broader market.

Luckily for you, our mission at StockStory is to help you make money and avoid losses by sorting the winners from the losers. That said, here are two stocks under $50 that could 10x and one best left ignored.

One Stock Under $50 to Sell:

Columbia Financial (CLBK)

Share Price: $15.41

Founded during the Roaring Twenties in 1926 and headquartered in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, Columbia Financial (NASDAQ: CLBK) operates federally chartered savings banks in New Jersey that offer traditional banking services including loans, deposits, and insurance products.

Why Do We Pass on CLBK?

  1. Net interest income stagnated over the last five years and signal the need for new growth strategies
  2. Concessions to defend its market share have ramped up over the last two years as its net interest margin decreased by 54 basis points (100 basis points = 1 percentage point)
  3. Performance over the past two years shows each sale was less profitable as its earnings per share dropped by 26.8% annually, worse than its revenue

Columbia Financial trades at a stock price of $15.41. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including CLBK in your portfolio.

Two Stocks Under $50 to Watch:

Dynatrace (DT)

Share Price: $49.93

With its platform processing over 30 trillion pieces of IT performance data daily, Dynatrace (NYSE: DT) provides an AI-powered platform that helps organizations monitor, secure, and optimize their applications and IT infrastructure across cloud environments.

Why Do We Like DT?

  1. Billings growth has averaged 18.9% over the last year, indicating a healthy pipeline of new contracts that should drive future revenue increases
  2. Prominent and differentiated software culminates in a top-tier gross margin of 81.9%
  3. Strong free cash flow margin of 26.2% enables it to reinvest or return capital consistently

Dynatrace is trading at $49.93 per share, or 7.4x forward price-to-sales. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.

First Financial Bancorp (FFBC)

Share Price: $26.34

Tracing its roots back to 1863 during the Civil War era, First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) is a bank holding company that provides commercial banking, lending, deposit services, and wealth management to individuals and businesses.

Why Could FFBC Be a Winner?

  1. Share repurchases have increased shareholder returns as its annual earnings per share growth of 8% exceeded its revenue gains over the last five years
  2. Impressive 17% annual tangible book value per share growth over the last two years indicates it’s building equity value this cycle
  3. Industry-leading 10% return on equity demonstrates management’s skill in finding high-return investments

At $26.34 per share, First Financial Bancorp trades at 1x forward P/B. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free.

Stocks We Like Even More

Trump’s April 2025 tariff bombshell triggered a massive market selloff, but stocks have since staged an impressive recovery, leaving those who panic sold on the sidelines.

Take advantage of the rebound by checking 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-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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