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 (NASDAQ:HON) 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. (NASDAQ:TER) 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 (NYSE:RRX) 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 (NASDAQ:CGNX) 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. (NYSE:ROK) provides industrial automation, control systems, software and digital transformation solutions for manufacturers.
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