In this article, we take a look at 10 Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now.
Industrial automation is moving from optional factory upgrade to core productivity infrastructure. The International Federation of Robotics’ World Robotics 2025 report showed 542,000 industrial robots installed in 2024, keeping annual installations above 500,000 for a fourth straight year. The same report showed Asia accounted for 74% of new robot deployments, Europe 16% and the Americas 9%, which underlines how uneven but large the installed base has become. Automation is also widening beyond robot arms. Rockwell Automation’s 2026 State of Smart Manufacturing report found that 34% of operations are AI-augmented today, with manufacturers expecting a higher share by 2030.
The investment case remains practical rather than theatrical. Manufacturers are using automation to manage labor constraints, quality requirements, plant safety, supply-chain volatility and the need for more flexible production. That makes the ecosystem broader than robotics alone. Sensors, motion-control systems, machine vision, process automation, safety devices, industrial software and integration services all matter. Demand can still vary by end market and capital-spending cycle, but the direction remains clear enough: factories are adding more intelligence to physical processes, and companies with defensible automation exposure remain worth watching.
Against this backdrop, lets look at some of the best industrial automation stocks to buy now.
Methodology
The screen focused on US-traded industrial automation companies, with a preference for pure-play exposure where available. Select broader industrial companies were included when motion control, sensing, machine vision, robotics, process control or automation software made them vital to the automation ecosystem. The list was ranked in descending order of low short percentage of float for these stocks, our thesis being that low short percentage of float robustly translates to high investor confidence. The final list was limited to companies with recent news and developments.
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10. Honeywell Technologies (NASDAQ:HON)
Honeywell Technologies (NASDAQ:HON) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On June 29, Honeywell Technologies launched as an independent public company after the completion of the Honeywell Aerospace spin-off, with the stock continuing to trade on Nasdaq under the HON ticker. The company framed the new entity as a pure-play automation business serving industrial, process, building and safety markets.
That makes the story directly relevant to industrial automation because the post-spin structure reduces the old conglomerate noise and leaves a company more clearly tied to process control, building systems, sensing, safety and industrial software. Honeywell also said the business is positioned around the transition from automation to autonomy, which is the central investor debate around factories and infrastructure. Execution risk remains real after a major corporate separation. Still, the new Honeywell Technologies gives public-market investors a cleaner automation vehicle than legacy Honeywell did.
Honeywell Technologies provides automation, control, sensing, safety and software solutions for industrial, building and process markets.
9. Teradyne, Inc. (NASDAQ:TER)
Teradyne, Inc. (NASDAQ:TER) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On June 18, Teradyne Robotics said it would showcase production-ready physical AI applications at Automate 2026, with demos spanning electronics manufacturing, logistics and flexible material handling. The story is relevant because it keeps the company’s automation case tied to deployable industrial robots, not humanoid theater.
Teradyne Robotics highlighted Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots applications, including the MiR1200 Pallet Jack and PolyScope X, a software platform that adds PLC-style background logic for multi-component work cells. It also pointed to AI training, AI vision, mobile cobots, and server-rack cable insertion examples designed for factories and data-center infrastructure. The caveat is purity: Teradyne remains heavily exposed to semiconductor test. Still, its robotics assets give it a real seat at the industrial automation table, especially as manufacturers look for flexible cells that can be adjusted without rebuilding an entire line.
Teradyne, Inc. supplies automated test equipment and owns robotics businesses focused on collaborative robots and autonomous mobile robots.
8. Regal Rexnord Corporation (NYSE:RRX)
Regal Rexnord Corporation (NYSE:RRX) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On July 1, Business Insider covered Kerrisdale Capital’s long thesis on the company, with the investor highlighting Regal Rexnord’s exposure to data-center and robotics supply chains. The industrial automation angle comes through motion and material handling rather than factory software. Motors, linear motion products, bearings, gearing, conveying components and actuators sit deep inside automated production lines, robotic cells, warehouses and packaging systems.
Kerrisdale also pointed to motors and linear motion products required for robotics, conveyors and warehouse material handling as a meaningful part of revenue, which keeps the thesis connected to real industrial demand. This is not a pure-play automation name, and cyclical industrial exposure remains part of the story. Still, the company is tied to the mechanical layer that lets automation equipment actually move, grip, transfer, position goods and operate reliably under factory conditions.
Regal Rexnord Corporation manufactures motion control, power transmission and automation-related components used across industrial end markets.
7. Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX)
Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On June 16, Cognex said its CEO would join the Automate 2026 opening keynote alongside leaders from FANUC, Schneider Electric and Intrinsic, with the discussion focused on AI, robotics and industrial connectivity. Cognex also used the event to showcase its In-Sight 3900, In-Sight 6900 and OneVision products, which are aimed at inspection and decision-making across factory environments. The topic fit is unusually clean.
Machine vision is one of the most direct ways automation moves from simple motion to judgment, because cameras, software and edge AI can inspect parts, identify defects and support faster quality decisions. The company’s challenge is demand cyclicality, especially when customers delay equipment spending. Even so, Cognex remains a focused way to play factory vision, inspection and AI-assisted automation without relying on a broader, less precise industrial theme. That keeps the stock unusually clean for this list.
Cognex Corporation provides machine vision systems, sensors and software used in automated inspection and manufacturing applications.
6. Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On June 16, Rockwell Automation and the Center for Automotive Research released a white paper on smart manufacturing in automotive, tire and battery production. The report focused on how automation, AI and machine learning are being deployed to reduce downtime, improve throughput and scale manufacturing capabilities.
This is directly tied to Rockwell’s core market because automotive and battery plants are among the most demanding settings for industrial control, robotics integration, safety systems and production software. The angle is not simply that factories want more equipment. It is that manufacturers need tighter coordination between machines, data and workers as product cycles shorten and quality requirements rise. Rockwell still faces capital-spending cycles, and automation orders can slow when customers hesitate. But its positioning remains central in the shift toward connected, software-driven industrial operations, where controls and data systems increasingly shape plant productivity.
Rockwell Automation, Inc. provides industrial automation, control systems, software and digital transformation solutions for manufacturers.
5. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO)
Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On June 30, Lincoln Electric Automation began its Demo Days 2026 event in Scheifling, Austria, highlighting automated welding, cutting and inspection systems. The product lineup included Linc-Cut, ENSPECTOR automated quality inspection, PythonX structural automation, SBA 400 beam welding with a handling robot, SBA Conti+ high-volume welding automation, the Cooper cobot and proFIT software.
Welding remains one of the clearest areas where industrial companies can use robotics to address labor constraints, quality consistency and throughput. Lincoln Electric is not a pure-play robot maker, and welding consumables still matter to the broader business. But its automation segment gives it a practical role in shop-floor modernization, especially where metal fabrication customers want complete systems rather than standalone machines. The company’s relevance comes from making automation usable in difficult production environments.
Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. makes welding, cutting and automation systems used in fabrication, heavy industry and manufacturing.
4. ATS Corporation (NYSE:ATS)
ATS Corporation (NYSE:ATS) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On May 28, ATS reported fiscal fourth-quarter results that kept the automation story grounded in actual systems revenue rather than concept-stage technology. Fiscal 2026 revenue rose 17.4% to C$2.973 billion, while adjusted revenue rose 10.8% to C$2.970 billion and adjusted EBITDA increased to C$413.0 million. The company also reported C$744.3 million in adjusted revenue for the fourth quarter.
ATS is a cleaner fit for this topic because it builds automation systems and equipment for customers that need custom production, assembly and testing solutions. Its mix also includes services and spare parts, which can support customer relationships after initial installations. The stock is still exposed to project timing and customer spending cycles, so growth is unlikely to be perfectly smooth. But ATS remains one of the more direct US-traded ways to track demand for industrial automation integration.
ATS Corporation designs and builds automated manufacturing systems, equipment and services for industrial and regulated markets.
3. Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)
Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On June 15, Emerson added combustible gas detection to its core wireless sensor portfolio with the Rosemount 928 wireless gas monitor. The sensor supports percent lower explosive limit monitoring over WirelessHART networks, giving industrial operators another way to detect combustible gas risks without relying only on hardwired infrastructure. This is a relevant automation development because modern process plants increasingly depend on connected sensors, safety data and control systems to run with fewer blind spots.
Emerson is not a narrow factory robotics name, but it is one of the central companies in process automation, measurement, instrumentation and industrial software. The new sensor also fits the broader push toward industrial internet-of-things deployments, where safety and operational data become part of the control environment. Cyclical process markets still matter, but Emerson’s automation focus remains clear, especially in plants where reliability and safety drive spending.
Emerson Electric Co. provides automation technology, measurement instruments, control systems and industrial software for process and hybrid industries.
2. AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME)
AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On June 30, Barron’s discussed Mizuho’s physical AI framework and included AMETEK among preferred companies tied to the automation and component layers of the trend. The fit is less about robots as a headline category and more about the instrumentation, precision motion, sensing and electromechanical systems that make automated equipment useful. AMETEK is not a pure-play automation company, so it needs the edge-case label.
Still, the company describes itself as a supplier of automation and precision motion control solutions, and those capabilities matter in manufacturing, testing, inspection, aerospace, medical and process environments. The stock also brings a steadier industrial technology profile than smaller automation specialists, though that comes with less thematic purity. For this list, AMETEK earns its place because industrial automation depends on accurate measurement and motion control as much as it depends on visible robotics.
AMETEK, Inc. manufactures electronic instruments and electromechanical devices, including precision motion, sensing and automation-related technologies.
1. Parker-Hannifin Corporation (NYSE:PH)
Parker-Hannifin Corporation (NYSE:PH) is one of the Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy Now. On June 30, Barron’s discussed Mizuho’s physical AI investment framework and included Parker-Hannifin among companies positioned in the component layer that supports automation. The angle is straightforward: robots, automated lines and smart machines still need motion, control, fluid handling and electromechanical systems to function reliably in the physical world.
Parker-Hannifin is not a pure-play automation stock, and aerospace, mobile hydraulics and other industrial end markets remain important to the company. However, its motion and control technologies are foundational enough that excluding it would make the industry map less honest. Industrial automation is not only software, sensors and AI. It is also the high-spec components that translate instructions into movement, pressure, force and positioning. Parker-Hannifin’s role sits in that less flashy but vital layer of the automation stack, where uptime and precision matter more than marketing vocabulary.
Parker-Hannifin Corporation provides motion and control technologies across industrial, mobile, aerospace and automation-related markets.
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