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 +32.52% 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

Scientific & Technical Instruments is Zen Rated A and is the 23rd ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Market Cap	Dividend Yield	Payout Ratio	Last Dividend	Annual Dividend	Dividend Percentile	Dividend Dropped Count (L10Y)	Ex-dividend Date	Div. Payment Date
MLAB	MESA LABORATORIES INC	$429.89M	0.82%	95.50%	$0.1600	$0.64	17%	0		2026-03-16
MKSI	MKS INC	$14.36B	0.43%	20.70%	$0.2500	$0.91	8%	0
ESE	ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC	$6.90B	0.09%	2.70%	$0.0800	$0.24	1%	0	2026-04-02	2026-04-17
ST	SENSATA TECHNOLOGIES HOLDING PLC	$5.00B	1.05%	228.60%	$0.1200	$0.36	23%	0
VNT	VONTIER CORP	$5.13B	0.28%	3.80%	$0.0250	$0.10	4%	1		2026-03-26
KEYS	KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC	$48.50B	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
BCHT	BIRCHTECH CORP	N/A	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
TRMB	TRIMBLE INC	$15.48B	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
COHR	COHERENT CORP	$45.23B	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
CGNX	COGNEX CORP	$8.08B	0.68%	47.80%	$0.0850	$0.33	14%	1
GRMN	GARMIN LTD	$45.37B	1.08%	39.90%	$0.9000	$2.55	24%	0	2026-03-13	2026-03-27
GNSS	GENASYS INC	$82.74M	N/A	0.00%	$0.0100	N/A	N/A	0
VPG	VISHAY PRECISION GROUP INC	$554.63M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
ITRI	ITRON INC	$4.07B	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
NOVT	NOVANTA INC	$4.27B	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
FTV	FORTIVE CORP	$16.90B	0.36%	19.00%	$0.0600	$0.20	6%	1	2026-03-13	2026-03-27
ACFN	ACORN ENERGY INC	$48.38M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
TDY	TELEDYNE TECHNOLOGIES INC	$29.94B	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
WATT	ENERGOUS CORP	$28.23M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
MIND	MIND TECHNOLOGY INC	$73.93M	N/A	0.00%	$5.6250	N/A	N/A	0
BMI	BADGER METER INC	$4.21B	1.07%	30.70%	$0.4000	$1.54	23%	0		2026-03-13
WRAP	WRAP TECHNOLOGIES INC	$83.51M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
BKSY	BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC	$861.30M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
MVIS	MICROVISION INC	$161.87M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
SOTK	SONO TEK CORP	$65.04M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
ODYS	ODYSIGHTAI INC	$93.22M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
USBC	USBC INC	$139.73M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
ELSE	ELECTRO SENSORS INC	$14.97M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
FCUV	FOCUS UNIVERSAL INC	$3.10M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
SOBR	SOBR SAFE INC	$1.32M	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
SVRE	SAVERONE 2014 LTD	$0.00	N/A	0.00%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Scientific & Technical Instrument Stocks FAQ

What are the best scientific & technical instrument stocks to buy right now in Mar 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. Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB)

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) is the #1 top scientific & technical instrument stock out of 31 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

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

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) has a Due Diligence Score of 28, which is -6 points lower than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 34. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates MLAB as a "A".

MLAB passed 11 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Mesa Laboratories has seen its stock lose -36.96% over the past year, underperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by -56 percentage points.

Mesa Laboratories has an average 1 year price target of $94.00, an upside of 20.81% from Mesa Laboratories's current stock price of $77.81.

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.

2. Mks (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Mks (NASDAQ:MKSI) is the #2 top scientific & technical instrument stock out of 31 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

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

Mks (NASDAQ:MKSI) has a Due Diligence Score of 41, which is 7 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 34.

MKSI passed 15 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Mks has seen its stock return 163.5% over the past year, overperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by 144 percentage points.

Mks has an average 1 year price target of $256.00, an upside of 19.91% from Mks's current stock price of $213.49.

Mks stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 13 analysts covering Mks, 69.23% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 15.38% have issued a Buy, 7.69% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 7.69% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Esco Technologies (NYSE:ESE)

Esco Technologies (NYSE:ESE) is the #3 top scientific & technical instrument stock out of 31 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Esco Technologies (NYSE:ESE) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: B, Sentiment: A, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Esco Technologies (NYSE:ESE) has a Due Diligence Score of 46, which is 12 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 34.

ESE passed 18 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Esco Technologies has seen its stock return 69.81% over the past year, overperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by 51 percentage points.

Esco Technologies has an average 1 year price target of $300.00, an upside of 12.6% from Esco Technologies's current stock price of $266.43.

Esco Technologies stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering Esco Technologies, 100% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 0% 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 1.08%, which is the same as the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.65%. 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 39.9% 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 1.07%, which is the same as the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.65%. 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 30.7% 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 1.05%, which is the same as the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.65%.

Sensata Technologies Holding's dividend payout ratio of 228.6% indicates that its dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are scientific & technical instrument stocks down?

Scientific & technical instrument stocks were down -2.2% in the last day, and down -3.33% over the last week. Mks was the among the top losers in the scientific & technical instruments industry, dropping -4.81% yesterday.

Shares of semiconductor companies are trading lower amid overall market weakness due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The industry may be pulling back due to high energy costs that may disrupt the chipmaking process.

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 34 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 23. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Vontier's stock has gained 10.4% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by -9 percentage points.

2. Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI)

Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) is the second 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.

Itron has a valuation score of 43, which is 20 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 23. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Itron's stock has dropped -12.13% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by -31 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 14, which is -9 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 23. It passed 1 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates MLAB a Valuation Rating of "B".

Mesa Laboratories's stock has dropped -36.96% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by -56 percentage points.

Are scientific & technical instrument stocks a good buy now?

44.44% 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 13.45% over the next year.

4.17% of scientific & technical instrument stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 33.33% of scientific & technical instrument stocks are rated B (Buy), 54.17% are rated C (Hold), 0% are rated D (Sell), and 8.33% 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 71.27x.

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.