Sectors & Industries TechnologyScientific & Technical Instruments
Best Scientific & Technical Instrument Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top scientific & technical instrument stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +28.50% per year, and are the best scientific & technical instrument stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Scientific & Technical In...

Overview Zen Rating Price Value Growth Financials Momentum Sentiment Forecast Dividends Due Diligence

Scientific & Technical Instruments is Zen Rated B and is the 51st ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	DD Score	Valuation Score	Financials Score	Forecast Score	Performance Score	Dividends Score
SOTK	SONO TEK CORP	33	0	100	0	30	–
MLAB	MESA LABORATORIES INC	35	29	43	44	20	40
MKSI	MKS INC	47	29	29	67	50	60
ST	SENSATA TECHNOLOGIES HOLDING PLC	41	29	43	56	20	60
KEYS	KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC	48	0	86	44	60	–

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Use Due Diligence Score to quickly analyze stock fundamentals, even if you don't have a finance background. We run time-tested due diligence checks inspired by legendary investors like Warren Buffett, and score each company based on how many they pass/fail.

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Scientific & Technical Instrument Stocks FAQ

What are the best scientific & technical instrument stocks to buy right now in Oct 2026?

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best scientific & technical instrument stocks to buy right now are:

1. Sono Tek (NASDAQ:SOTK)

Sono Tek (NASDAQ:SOTK) is the #1 top scientific & technical instrument stock out of 29 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Sono Tek (NASDAQ:SOTK) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: B, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: B.

Sono Tek (NASDAQ:SOTK) has a Due Diligence Score of 33, which is -1 points lower than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 34. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates SOTK as a "A".

SOTK passed 10 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Sono Tek has seen its stock return 51.69% over the past year, overperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by 31 percentage points.

2. Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB)

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) is the #2 top scientific & technical instrument stock out of 29 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: B, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) has a Due Diligence Score of 35, which is 1 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 34.

MLAB passed 13 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Mesa Laboratories has seen its stock return 90.56% over the past year, overperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by 70 percentage points.

Mesa Laboratories has an average 1 year price target of $110.00, a downside of -15.36% from Mesa Laboratories's current stock price of $129.96.

Mesa Laboratories stock has a consensus Hold recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering Mesa Laboratories, 0% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 100% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Mks (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Mks (NASDAQ:MKSI) is the #3 top scientific & technical instrument stock out of 29 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Mks (NASDAQ:MKSI) is: Value: B, Growth: B, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Mks (NASDAQ:MKSI) has a Due Diligence Score of 47, which is 13 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 34.

MKSI passed 18 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Mks has seen its stock return 112.01% over the past year, overperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by 92 percentage points.

Mks has an average 1 year price target of $432.75, an upside of 58.43% from Mks's current stock price of $273.15.

Mks stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 12 analysts covering Mks, 66.67% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 25% have issued a Buy, 8.33% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the scientific & technical instrument stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 9 scientific & technical instrument stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 scientific & technical instrument stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Garmin (NYSE:GRMN)

Garmin (NYSE:GRMN) has an annual dividend yield of 1.41%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.68%. Garmin's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Garmin's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Garmin's dividend payout ratio of 38.5% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

2. Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI)

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) has an annual dividend yield of 1.32%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.68%. Badger Meter's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Badger Meter's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Badger Meter's dividend payout ratio of 37.2% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Sensata Technologies Holding (NYSE:ST)

Sensata Technologies Holding (NYSE:ST) has an annual dividend yield of 1.13%, which is the same as the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.68%. Sensata Technologies Holding's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Sensata Technologies Holding's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Sensata Technologies Holding's dividend payout ratio of 78.7% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Why are scientific & technical instrument stocks down?

Scientific & technical instrument stocks were down -2.54% in the last day, and up 2.02% over the last week. Cognex was the among the top losers in the scientific & technical instruments industry, dropping -7.75% yesterday.

Shares of companies within the broader technology sector are trading lower after Treasury yields spiked to a 24-year record and the Federal Reserve's September meeting minutes showed officials expect another interest rate hike in 2026. This may cause investors to rotate out of the sector due to economic tightening.

What are the most undervalued scientific & technical instrument stocks?

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued scientific & technical instrument stocks right now are:

1. Vontier (NYSE:VNT)

Vontier (NYSE:VNT) is the most undervalued scientific & technical instrument stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Vontier has a valuation score of 57, which is 36 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 21. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Vontier's stock has dropped -18.86% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by -39 percentage points.

2. Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI)

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) is the second most undervalued scientific & technical instrument stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Itron has a valuation score of 43, which is 22 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 21. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Itron's stock has dropped -32.37% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by -53 percentage points.

3. Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB)

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) is the third most undervalued scientific & technical instrument stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Mesa Laboratories has a valuation score of 29, which is 8 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 21. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Mesa Laboratories's stock has gained 90.56% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by 70 percentage points.

Are scientific & technical instrument stocks a good buy now?

50% of scientific & technical instrument stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect scientific & technical instrument stocks to rise by 26.53% over the next year.

12.5% of scientific & technical instrument stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 12.5% of scientific & technical instrument stocks are rated B (Buy), 54.17% are rated C (Hold), 16.67% are rated D (Sell), and 4.17% are rated F (Strong Sell).

What is the average p/e ratio of the scientific & technical instruments industry?

The average P/E ratio of the scientific & technical instruments industry is 41.06x.

WallStreetZen does not provide financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.

Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes and is not advice. WallStreetZen does not bear any responsibility for any losses or damage that may occur as a result of reliance on this data.