Head to Head

LASR vs TER: which is the better buy in 2026?

On Alexandria's Compass, Teradyne, Inc. has the edge with a 91/100 score versus 90/100 for LASR. Here is how they stack up, factor by factor.

nLIGHT, Inc.

NASDAQ:LASR

90/100 Compass
True NorthAccumulate$3.2B

Directed energy is finally graduating from PowerPoint to procurement, and LASR is the picks-and-shovels play with defense department fingerprints all over it.

Full LASR analysis

Teradyne, Inc.

NASDAQ:TER

Edge
91/100 Compass
True NorthAccumulate$59.3B

The HBM test bottleneck has a name, and Teradyne owns the socket Nvidia's supply chain can't ship without.

Full TER analysis

Factor by factor

FactorLASRTER
Revenue Growth9898
Profitability2772
Valuation5232
Momentum5469
Theme Purity7768
Moat5056
Catalysts8473
Market Position5055

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Frequently asked questions

Is LASR or TER the better buy in 2026?

By Compass Score, Teradyne, Inc. (NASDAQ:TER) edges it at 91/100 versus 90/100 for LASR. Both scores update weekly and reflect a contrarian, forward-looking read, not a recommendation.

How does Alexandria compare LASR and TER?

Each company is scored 1-100 on eight factors: revenue growth, profitability, valuation, momentum, theme purity, moat, catalysts, and market position. The Compass Score is the composite, and the comparison below shows where each name wins factor by factor.

Compass Scores are proprietary editorial research from publicly available data, not investment advice or a recommendation regarding any security. Rankings update weekly.