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

Scientific & Technical Instruments is Zen Rated A and is the 25th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Market Cap	Shares	Institutional %	Insider %	Net Insider (L12M)	Net Insider (L3M)
MLAB	MESA LABORATORIES INC	$545.58M	5,524,813	84.12%	15.88%	Net Buying	Net Buying
ST	SENSATA TECHNOLOGIES HOLDING PLC	$5.64B	145,799,544	44.88%	55.12%	Net Selling	Net Selling
ESE	ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC	$7.76B	25,895,762	95.97%	4.03%	Net Selling	Net Buying
MKSI	MKS INC	$18.15B	67,248,357	70.89%	29.11%	Net Selling	Net Selling
KEYS	KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES INC	$56.59B	171,502,495	91.31%	1.09%	Net Selling	Net Selling
VNT	VONTIER CORP	$5.16B	141,600,000	98.94%	1.06%	Net Selling	Net Selling
NOVT	NOVANTA INC	$4.49B	35,683,769	77.63%	22.37%	Net Selling	Net Selling
GRMN	GARMIN LTD	$50.88B	192,480,830	48.43%	51.57%	Net Selling	Net Selling
CGNX	COGNEX CORP	$9.11B	165,707,920	96.11%	3.89%	Net Selling	Net Selling
ITRI	ITRON INC	$4.36B	44,941,206	82.90%	17.10%	Net Selling	Net Selling
COHR	COHERENT CORP	$61.49B	187,481,852	87.94%	8.39%	Net Selling	Net Selling
TRMB	TRIMBLE INC	$15.83B	233,929,408	96.85%	1.27%	Net Buying	Net Buying
FTV	FORTIVE CORP	$18.36B	307,859,190	86.62%	13.38%	Net Selling	Net Selling
TDY	TELEDYNE TECHNOLOGIES INC	$29.44B	46,305,311	94.81%	5.07%	Net Selling	Net Selling
GNSS	GENASYS INC	$87.71M	45,212,311	39.94%	60.06%	Net Buying	Net Buying
VPG	VISHAY PRECISION GROUP INC	$683.22M	13,297,409	72.52%	27.48%	Net Selling
ACFN	ACORN ENERGY INC	$46.65M	2,506,501	0.48%	99.52%	Net Buying	Net Buying
WATT	ENERGOUS CORP	$131.37M	5,501,099	0.75%	99.25%	Net Buying
BKSY	BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC	$1.44B	36,994,814	34.94%	65.06%	Net Selling	Net Selling
BCHT	BIRCHTECH CORP	$44.19M	26,305,966	0.38%	11.23%	Net Buying	Net Buying
WRAP	WRAP TECHNOLOGIES INC	$81.03M	55,500,054	9.76%	40.97%	Net Selling	Net Buying
BMI	BADGER METER INC	$4.44B	29,181,598	95.79%	4.21%	Net Buying	Net Selling
MIND	MIND TECHNOLOGY INC	$56.26M	9,038,082	14.46%	23.76%
MVIS	MICROVISION INC	$198.66M	306,579,855	27.66%	10.01%	Net Selling	Net Buying
SOBR	SOBR SAFE INC	$2.21M	2,806,579	0.38%	99.62%
ELSE	ELECTRO SENSORS INC	$15.63M	3,532,423	5.86%	94.14%	Net Buying	Net Buying
FCUV	FOCUS UNIVERSAL INC	$2.14M	1,025,135	1.34%	98.66%	Net Buying
SVRE	SAVERONE 2014 LTD	$0.00	29,961,257,022	0.00%	35.63%	Net Buying	Net Buying
USBC	USBC INC	$133.52M	388,144,429	0.48%	99.52%	Net Buying
ODYS	ODYSIGHTAI INC	$91.29M	16,359,410	28.57%	45.23%	Net Selling	Net Buying
SOTK	SONO TEK CORP	$65.83M	15,710,389	8.16%	24.07%	Net Selling	Net Buying

Scientific & Technical Instrument Stocks FAQ

What are the best scientific & technical instrument stocks to buy right now in Apr 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: B, Safety: B, Financials: B, and AI: B.

Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) has a Due Diligence Score of 34, which is -1 points lower than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 35. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates MLAB as a "A".

MLAB passed 13 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Mesa Laboratories has seen its stock lose -12.55% over the past year, underperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by -67 percentage points.

Mesa Laboratories has an average 1 year price target of $94.00, a downside of -4.81% from Mesa Laboratories's current stock price of $98.75.

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. Sensata Technologies Holding (NYSE:ST)

Sensata Technologies Holding (NYSE:ST) is the #2 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 Sensata Technologies Holding (NYSE:ST) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: B, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Sensata Technologies Holding (NYSE:ST) has a Due Diligence Score of 23, which is -12 points lower than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 35. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates ST as a "A".

ST passed 9 out of 38 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Sensata Technologies Holding has seen its stock return 101.67% over the past year, overperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by 47 percentage points.

Sensata Technologies Holding has an average 1 year price target of $41.50, an upside of 7.35% from Sensata Technologies Holding's current stock price of $38.66.

Sensata Technologies Holding stock has a consensus Hold recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 8 analysts covering Sensata Technologies Holding, 25% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 12.5% have issued a Buy, 50% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 12.5% 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 11 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 35.

ESE passed 18 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Esco Technologies has seen its stock return 98.78% over the past year, overperforming other scientific & technical instrument stocks by 44 percentage points.

Esco Technologies has an average 1 year price target of $325.00, an upside of 8.4% from Esco Technologies's current stock price of $299.82.

Esco Technologies stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 2 analysts 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 1.02%, which is the same as the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.59%. 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 1.01%, which is the same as the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.59%. 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 0.93%, which is the same as the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 0.59%.

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 up?

Scientific & technical instrument stocks were up 0.6% in the last day, and up 1.87% over the last week. Blacksky Technology was the among the top gainers in the scientific & technical instruments industry, gaining 17.9% yesterday.

Shares of space-related companies are trading higher, possibly related to growing interest in the industry after the Artemis II mission and the White House's recent memorandum that launched the National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power. Investor interest may be attributed to SpaceX's anticipated IPO.

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 33 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 24. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Vontier's stock has gained 21.45% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by -33 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 19 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 24. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Itron's stock has dropped -4.57% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by -59 percentage points.

3. Acorn Energy (NASDAQ:ACFN)

Acorn Energy (NASDAQ:ACFN) 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.

Acorn Energy has a valuation score of 57, which is 33 points higher than the scientific & technical instrument industry average of 24. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Acorn Energy's stock has gained 28.34% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the scientific & technical instrument industry by -26 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 3.27% over the next year.

8.33% of scientific & technical instrument stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 16.67% of scientific & technical instrument stocks are rated B (Buy), 70.83% are rated C (Hold), 0% 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 96.62x.

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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.