Investors willing to trade high risk for high reward should consider these three “new school” industrial stocks.
When you think of industrial stocks, companies in old-school industries like steelmaking and machinery may first come to mind.
However, this sector encompasses many of the fastest-growing industries, including electric vehicles (EVs), flying taxis, and companies involved in commercializing outer space, also known as space stocks.
Hence, when it comes to the industrial stocks with the greatest potential to beat the market over the next five years, a few “new-school” names come to mind: Archer Aviation (ACHR 0.40%), AST SpaceMobile (ASTS 2.83%), and Rivian Automotive (RIVN +0.61%).
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Archer Aviation remains primed for liftoff
Electric vertical takeoff and landing stocks, or eVTOL stocks, also known as “flying taxi” stocks, remained very popular throughout 2025. Yet while names like Archer Aviation have pulled back as of late, it’s premature to assume that Wall Street has put this trend in the rearview mirror.
Today’s Change
(-0.40%) $-0.03
Current Price
$7.52
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$5.5B
Day’s Range
$7.40 – $7.59
52wk Range
$5.48 – $14.62
Volume
34M
Avg Vol
57M
In fact, over the past month alone, Archer has made significant progress in commercialization, including the formation of new manufacturing partnerships and progress in launching commercial air taxi services in both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
Although Archer Aviation has remained a pre-revenue company throughout 2025, sell-side analyst forecasts suggest it will achieve its first year of significant revenue in 2026, with average sales forecasts of around $32 million. In 2030, when the eVTOL industry could be a $29 billion-per-year business, Archer may then be a large, consistently profitable player in the space, with its shares worth many times their current trading price.
AST SpaceMobile is also experiencing rapid commercialization
AST SpaceMobile has been on a tear this year. Year to date, shares rose 244% in 2025, but don’t assume this means you’ve missed the big launch for this space-based telecommunications technology company.
Today’s Change
(-2.83%) $-2.11
Current Price
$72.57
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$20B
Day’s Range
$71.64 – $75.39
52wk Range
$17.50 – $102.79
Volume
256K
Avg Vol
14M
Gross Margin
-38675.73%
Commercialization progress has been a key reason why AST SpaceMobile has performed so well year to date. However, while forecasts predict AST SpaceMobile’s sales will increase by around 1,200% this year, projections for 2026 anticipate further rapid sales growth, with average estimates indicating revenue will rise by another 342.6%.
On a longer time frame, AST SpaceMobile may be just a few years away from reaching consistent profitability. This milestone could arrive as soon as 2027 or 2028. That’s when analyst estimates call for the company to report earnings of $0.35 and $2.57 per share, respectively.
Rivian is the only Tesla killer among EV start-ups
Remember a few years back, when investors speculated on how one or more of the EV start-ups could give market leader Tesla a run for its money? Flash forward to now, and confidence in most of these “Tesla killers, like Lucid Group, has evaporated completely.
Today’s Change
(0.61%) $0.12
Current Price
$19.71
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$24B
Day’s Range
$19.30 – $19.91
52wk Range
$10.36 – $22.69
Volume
22M
Avg Vol
47M
Gross Margin
-159.38%
However, among these EV contenders, Rivian Automotive still has a shot of scaling into a major name in the space. This year, Rivian has regularly started reporting positive gross profits. Next year, the company could hit new production, delivery, and profitability milestones with the launch of its R2 line of lower-priced SUVs.
The stock has already rallied from $15 to over $20 per share in anticipation of the mid-2026 R2 launch. However, if this product lives up to its current “game changer” hype, with annual sales in the six-digit range, Rivian could make significant progress toward generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) profitability. In turn, this would likely propel the stock to even loftier price levels.
