Robots automate the world around us and enjoy an impressively diverse range of uses. But is the industry worth your money? Robotics may be on the rise, but high rates of competition may threaten your investment.
What is robotics?
Robotics is the study, design and construction of robots. The field is closely related to many engineering disciplines, including computer science, artificial intelligence and bioengineering. There are many types of robots, including drones, telepresence devices, self-driving cars, household appliances, toys, industrial machines and so many more. As the field of robotics continues to expand, the more likely we are to encounter robots in our daily lives. Robotics stocks come from companies involved in the conception or construction of robots. Broadly speaking, they include:
Core automation and production. Focused on the development and construction of robots and automated processes.
Robot technology. Specialize in specific segments of the robot market, like vision systems, sensors and video compression.
Robotic integration. Use robotics to enhance their product offerings, like domestic appliances, farming equipment and aircraft systems.
How to invest in robotics
There are several ways you can invest in robotics stocks. You can buy shares of individual robotics stocks. You can also purchase shares of an ETF that invests in several stocks. Here’s how to start:
Choose a stock trading platform. You have plenty to choose from, so be sure to compare your options to find the one that works best for you.
Open your account. Be ready with your ID, Social Security number and bank account information.
Fund your account. You’ll need to transfer money to your brokerage account before you can start investing. Some platforms let you start with as little as $1.
Search for stocks. Look up stocks by ticker symbol or use a stock screener to filter the types you’re interested in.
Place an order. Once you’ve found an investment you want, specify how much of it you wish to purchase and submit your order.
Monitor your investments. Track the performance of your portfolio by logging on to your account.
3 tools to help identify new investments
We've compiled a list of stocks to keep an eye on, but the stock market is volatile, and trends can change daily.
If you're actively trading stocks, staying on top of new industry trends and rising stocks can take a lot of time. Here are some of my favorite tools to keep up with trends and get new trading ideas.
Stock screeners. You can use an online stock screener like Finviz or TradingView to see what stocks are making the biggest moves today and narrow your search by industry and market cap. Screeners are most beneficial for technical traders who have set criteria in mind for their trades. For example, if you're looking for stocks trending today in the industry, you can pull a list of all mid-cap and large-cap stocks for that industry and sort by percent change since opening.
Newsletters. Some of my favorites include the Motley Fool Stock Advisor and the Alpha Boost and Cherry Picks newsletters published by Tastyworks. Newsletters can be a great way to find companies that may be worth investing in for the long haul.
Social media. While I'd never make a trade based on a Reddit thread alone, social platforms like Reddit, X (formerlyTwitter) and Tiktok can be useful tools for staying on top of what companies people are talking about. The trendiness of a stock can directly influence its price — but those trends can also be volatile. While social media can occasionally help buy-and-hold investors, it tends to be a more practical tool for active traders.
Robotics stocks
The robotics industry is growing in the US and internationally. Investors can invest online, by selecting from stocks traded directly on US exchanges or purchasing over-the-counter shares from international companies.
Robotics stocks on US exchanges
See how the following stocks are performing, and view details like market capitalization, the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio and dividend yield.
AeroVironment, Inc. designs, develops, produces, delivers, and supports a portfolio of robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses in the United States and internationally. It operates through UnCrewed Systems (UxS); Loitering Munition Systems (LMS); and the MacCready Works (MW) segments. The company supplies uncrewed aircraft and ground robot systems, loitering munitions systems, and related services primarily to organizations within the U.S. Department of Defense, other federal agencies, and to international allied governments. It also offers airborne platforms, payloads and payload integration, ground control systems, and ground support equipment and other items and services related to unmanned aircraft systems. In addition, the company offers small UAS products, including training, spare parts, product repair, product replacement, maintenance, and upgrade services. Further, it develops mars Helicopters and high-altitude pseudo-satellite UAS systems. AeroVironment, Inc. was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
Brooks Automation, Inc. provides manufacturing automation solutions for the semiconductor industry, and life science sample-based services and solutions for the life sciences market worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Life Sciences Products and Life Sciences Services. The Life Sciences Products segment offers automated ultra-cold storage systems and consumables, including racks, tubes, caps, plates, and foils; instruments, such as labeling, bar coding, capping, de-capping, auditing, sealing, peeling, piercing tubes, and plates. The Life Sciences Services segment offers genomic services and sample repository solutions, including on-site and off-site sample storage, cold chain logistics, sample transport and collection relocation, bio-processing solutions, disaster recovery and business continuity, and biospecimen procurement services, as well as project management and consulting; and informatics provides sample intelligence software solutions, which support laboratory workflow scheduling for life science tools and instrument work cells, sample, inventory and logistics, environmental and temperature monitoring, clinical trial and consent management, and planning, data management, virtualization and visualization of sample collections. Brooks Automation, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Cognex Corporation provides machine vision products that capture and analyze visual information to automate manufacturing and distribution tasks worldwide. Its machine vision products are used to automate the manufacturing and tracking of discrete items, including mobile phones, automotive components, and e-commerce packages by locating, identifying, inspecting, and measuring them. The company offers VisionPro software, a suite of patented vision tools for advanced programming; In-Sight product line of vision systems and sensors; QuickBuild that allows customers to build vision applications with a graphical, flowchart-based programming interface; and DataMan, an image-based barcode readers and barcode verifiers; vision accessories, such as industrial cameras, lenses, lighting, vision controllers, frame grabbers, and I/O cards. It sells its products to automotive, logistics, consumer electronics, medical-related, semiconductor, consumer products, and food and beverage industries through a network of distributors and integrators. The company was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts.
Deere & Company engages in the manufacture and distribution of various equipment worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Production and Precision Agriculture, Small Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Production and Precision Agriculture segment provides large and mid-size tractors, combines, cotton pickers and strippers, sugarcane harvesters and loaders, soil preparation, tillage, seeding, and crop care equipment, as well as application equipment, including sprayers and nutrient management, soil preparation machinery for grain growers, and related attachments and service parts. The Small Agriculture and Turf segment offers rotary mowers, hay and forage equipment, forage harvesters, utility tractors, and related loaders and attachments; turf and utility equipment, including riding lawn, commercial mowing, and golf course equipment, and utility vehicles; and other outdoor power products, as well as implements for mowing, tilling, snow and debris handling, aerating, residential, commercial, golf, and sports turf care applications. The Construction and Forestry segment provides backhoe loaders, crawler dozers and loaders, four-wheel-drive loaders, track loaders, excavators, motor graders, articulated dump trucks, landscape and skid-steer loaders, scraper systems, milling machines, recyclers, slipform and asphalt pavers, surface miners, compactors, tandem, static rollers, mobile crushers and screens, mobile and stationary asphalt plants, log skidders and harvesters, log feller bunchers, and log loaders and forwarders; and road building and rehabilitation equipment. The Financial Services segment finances sales and leases agriculture and turf, and construction and forestry equipment. It also offers wholesale financing to dealers of the foregoing equipment; and extended equipment warranties, as well as finances retail revolving charge accounts. The company was founded in 1837 and is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.
FLIR Systems, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, markets, and distributes thermal imaging systems, visible-light imaging systems, locater systems, measurement and diagnostic systems, and threat-detection solutions worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Industrial Technologies and Defense Technologies. The Industrial Technologies segment develops and manufactures thermal and visible-spectrum imaging camera cores and components for third parties to create thermal, industrial, and other types of imaging systems; and develops and manufactures devices that image, measure, and analyze thermal energy, gases, and other environmental elements for industrial, commercial, and scientific applications, as well as imaging payloads for unmanned aerial systems, and machine vision cameras. It also develops, manufactures, and services thermal imaging cameras, analytics software, gas detection cameras, firefighting cameras, process automation cameras, environmental test and measurement devices, security cameras, marine electronics, and traffic cameras for perimeter security, critical infrastructure, recreational and commercial maritime, and traffic monitoring and control. The Defense Technologies segment develops and manufactures airborne, land, maritime, and man-portable multi-spectrum imaging systems; radars; lasers; imaging components; integrated multi-sensor system platforms; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives detectors; and nano-class unmanned aerial systems, as well as services related to systems for military, law enforcement, public safety, and other government customers. It also produces multi-mission unmanned air and unmanned ground systems serving the U.S. Department of Defense and federal government agencies, public safety, and governmental customers. It has collaboration with Neurala to deliver AI-Powered industrial cameras. FLIR Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 1978 and is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon. As of May 14, 2021, FLIR Systems, Inc. operates as a
Globus Medical, Inc., a medical device company, develops and commercializes healthcare solutions for patients with musculoskeletal disorders in the United States and internationally. The company offers musculoskeletal solutions, including spine products, such as traditional fusion implants, and treatment options for motion preservation technologies, and interventional solutions to treat vertebral compression fractures; orthopedic trauma solutions, which includes fracture plating, intramedullary nailing, and regenerative biologic products; hip and knee joint solutions, including modular hip stems and acetabular cups for total hip arthroplasty, as well as posterior stabilizing and cruciate retaining knee arthroplasty implants; and neuromonitoring services, which provides onsite and remote monitoring of the neurological systems of patients undergoing spinal and brain-related surgeries. The company also offers enabling technologies, such as imaging, navigation, and robotics (INR) solutions for assisted surgery, which includes the ExcelsiusGPS platform, a robotic guidance and navigation system for minimally invasive and open procedures with screw and interbody spacer placement applications; Surgimap, a surgical planning software platform; Excelsius3D, a platform combined with ExcelsiusGPS that provides an intraoperative, image-guided robotic navigation solution; ExcelsiusHub, which provides real-time patient array monitoring, tissue sparing drills, and registration flexibility; and ExcelsiusFlex, a total knee arthroplasty robotic solution. Further, it distributes human cell, tissue, and cellular and tissue-based products. The company sells its products through direct or distributor sales representatives, as well as hip and knee products through independent sales agents. Globus Medical, Inc. was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Audubon, Pennsylvania.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets products that enable physicians and healthcare providers to enhance the quality of and access to minimally invasive care in the United States and internationally. The company offers the da Vinci Surgical System that enables surgical procedures using a minimally invasive approach; and Ion endoluminal system, which extends its commercial offerings beyond surgery into diagnostic endoluminal procedures enabling minimally invasive biopsies in the lung. It also provides a suite of stapling, energy, and core instrumentation for its multi-port da Vinci surgical systems; progressive learning pathways to support the use of its technology; infrastructure of service and support specialists, a complement of services to its customers, including installation, repair, maintenance, 24/7 technical support, and proactive system health monitoring; and integrated digital capabilities providing connected offerings, streamlining performance for hospitals with program-enhancing insights. The company sells its products through direct sales organizations, such as capital and clinical sales teams. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
iRobot Corporation designs, builds, and sells robots and home innovation products in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, and internationally. The company offers Roomba Combo 10 Max robot + AutoWash Dock, a robot vacuum and mop that vacuum and mop multiple floor types while the dock automatically refills and recharges the robot, washes and dries the mopping pad, empties debris, and self-cleans; and Roomba Combo which performs both mopping and vacuuming. It also provides Roomba floor vacuuming robots; accessories and consumables, such as the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal system, replacement dirt disposal bags, mop pads, floor cleaning solution, filters, brushes, and other replacement parts; and service plans for floorcare robots, including an option to cover accidental damage, as well as subscription services. The company sells its products through chain stores and other national retailers, value- added distributors, and resellers, as well as through its website and app, and e-commerce websites. iRobot Corporation was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Rockwell Automation, Inc. provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services. The Intelligent Devices segment offers drives, motion, safety, sensing, industrial components, and configured-to-order products. The Software & Control segment provides control and visualization software and hardware, information software, and network and security infrastructure solutions. The Lifecycle Services segment provides consulting, professional services and solutions, and connected and maintenance services. It sells its solutions primarily through independent distributors in relation with its direct sales force. It serves discrete end markets, including automotive, semiconductor, and warehousing and logistics, as well as general industries comprising printing and publishing, marine, glass, fiber and textiles, airports, and aerospace; hybrid end markets, such as food and beverage, life sciences, household and personal care, and tire, as well as eco industrial, including water/wastewater, waste management, mass transit, and renewable energy; and process end markets comprising oil and gas, mining, metals, chemicals, pulp and paper, and others. The company was founded in 1903 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Teradyne, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells automated test systems and robotics products in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through Semiconductor Test, Robotics, and Other segments. The Semiconductor Test segment offers products and services for wafer level and device package testing, and system level testing of semiconductor devices in automotive, industrial, communications, consumer, smartphones, cloud, computer and electronic game, and other applications. This segment also provides FLEX test platform systems; J750 test system to address the volume semiconductor devices, including microcontrollers; Magnum platform that tests memory devices, such as flash memory and DRAM; and ETS platform for semiconductor manufacturers, and assembly and test subcontractors in the analog/mixed signal markets. It serves integrated device manufacturers that integrate the fabrication of silicon wafers into their business; fabless companies that outsource the manufacturing of silicon wafers; foundries; and semiconductor assembly and test providers. The Robotics segment provides collaborative robotic arms, autonomous mobile robots, and advanced robotic control software for manufacturing, logistics, and industrial customers. It also provides semiconductor test systems and instruments, defense/aerospace test instrumentation and systems, storage and system level test systems, wireless test systems and robotics products, and circuit-board test and inspection systems; production board test; and wireless test solutions for silicon validation, wireless module manufacturing, and wireless end device manufacturing under the LitePoint brand. Teradyne, Inc. was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in North Reading, Massachusetts.
Trimble Inc. provides technology solutions that enable professionals and field mobile workers to enhance or transform their work processes worldwide. The company's Buildings and Infrastructure segment offers field and office software for project design and visualization; systems to guide and control construction equipment; software for 3D design and data sharing; systems to monitor, track, and manage assets, equipment, and workers; software to share and communicate data; program management solutions for construction owners; 3D conceptual design and modeling software; building information modeling software; enterprise resource planning, project management, and project collaboration solutions; integrated site layout and measurement systems; cost estimating, scheduling, and project controls solutions; and applications for sub-contractors and trades. Its Geospatial segment provides surveying and geospatial products, and geographic information systems. The company's Resources and Utilities segment offers precision agriculture products and services, such as guidance and positioning systems, including autonomous steering systems, automated and variable-rate application and technology systems, and information management solutions; manual and automated navigation guidance for tractors and other farm equipment; solutions to automate application of pesticide and seeding; water solutions; and agricultural software. Its Transportation segment offers solutions for long haul trucking and freight shipper markets; mobility solutions comprising route management, safety and compliance, end-to-end vehicle management, video intelligence, and supply chain communications; and fleet and transportation management systems, analytics, routing, mapping, reporting, and predictive modeling solutions. The company was formerly known as Trimble Navigation Limited and changed its name to Trimble Inc. in October 2016. Trimble Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado.
Zebra Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides enterprise asset intelligence solutions in the automatic identification and data capture solutions industry worldwide. It operates in two segments, Asset Intelligence & Tracking, and Enterprise Visibility & Mobility. The company designs, manufactures, and sells printers that produce labels, wristbands, tickets, receipts, and plastic cards; dye-sublimination thermal card printers that produce images, which are used for personal identification, access control, and financial transactions; radio frequency identification device (RFID) printers that encode data into passive RFID transponders; accessories and options for printers, including carrying cases, vehicle mounts, and battery chargers; stock and customized thermal labels, wristbands, receipts, ribbons, plastic cards, and RFID tags for printers; and electronic sensors and temperature-monitoring labels. It also provides various maintenance, technical support, repair, and managed and professional services; fixed readers, RFID enabled mobile computers, and RFID sleds; tags, sensors, exciters, middleware software, and application software; and physical inventory management solutions, and rugged and enterprise-grade mobile computing products and accessories, as well as real-time location systems and services. In addition, the company offers barcode scanners and imagers, RFID readers, industrial machine vision cameras, and fixed industrial scanners; workforce management, workflow execution and task management, and prescriptive analytics, as well as communications and collaboration solutions; and cloud-based software subscriptions, retail, and robotics automation solutions. The company serves retail and e-commerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare, public sector, and other industries through direct sales force and network of channel partners. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
To purchase these stocks, you’ll need an international share trading account. Because a lot of beginner-friendly brokerages, like Robinhood and Chase You Invest, don’t offer access to international exchanges, this can limit your account options.
Daifuku (OTC: DFKCY)
Fanuc (OTC: FANU.Y)
KION Group (OTC: KIGR.Y)
Kuka (OTC: KUKA.F)
Siemens (OTC: SIEG.Y)
Yaskawa (OTC: YASK.Y)
What ETFs track the robotics category?
Most ETFs that track robotics companies also have an eye on the artificial intelligence industry.
First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence and Robotics ETF (ROBT)
Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic ETF (BOTZ)
iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF (IRBO)
ROBO Global Robotics and Automation Index ETF (ROBO)
Why invest in robotics stocks?
It’s hard to argue against the excitement of investing in the tech sector. And the robotics industry in particular presents an enticing opportunity for investors. There’s a lot of long-term growth potential in robotics. Like artificial intelligence, the robotics industry is on an impressive growth trajectory. From 2018 to 2026, the robotics industry is expected to grow by about 11% per year, according to the Global Industrial Robotics Market Analysis 2020. And the sweeping practical applications of this technology seem endless, including uses in healthcare, industrial assembly, military, automotive, consumer goods. Robotics stocks also offer investors the opportunity to back a technology they may actually benefit from, like surgical robots, disaster-response robots or farming robots.
Risks of investing in robotics
There are two risks to consider before you invest in robotics stocks: competition and company valuations. Market sectors poised for growth hold plenty of investment potential but tend to experience higher rates of competition. And competition can be cutthroat — especially for newly hatched startups that lack the capital and resources of better-established companies. And the other major risk factor associated with robotics stocks plays into the first: high company valuations. The robotics industry is on an upward trajectory, and the market has adjusted in response. Like many other industries in this sector, robotics stocks can get expensive, and that’s a result of the higher valuations associated with companies in this industry. The bottom line? Investors risk pouring funds into an expensive stock only to watch the company flounder amid competition.
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The field of robotics is growing, and there are many ways to apply the technology. But the price of investing in robotics may be higher than investors are willing to risk in such a competitive industry. Review your platform options with multiple providers before you open an account.
Frequently asked questions
Do robotics stocks pay dividends? Yes, some robotics stocks pay dividends, including ABB, Deere, Kuka and Rockwell Automation. How do I purchase OTC robotics stocks? To purchase over-the-counter stocks, you’ll need a brokerage account that offers access to OTC markets, like Interactive Brokers, Robinhood or Zacks Trade.
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Shannon Terrell is a lead writer and spokesperson at NerdWallet and a former editor at Finder, specializing in personal finance. Her writing and analysis on investing and banking has been featured in Bloomberg, Global News, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates and Black Enterprise. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and English literature from the University of Toronto Mississauga. See full bio
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