Prediction: 3 Industrial Stocks That Could Beat the Market Over the Next 5 Years

Key Points

• AST SpaceMobile has been on a tear in 2025, but extensive runway remains as this satellite cellular phone technology company ramps up its commercialization efforts.

• Archer Aviation remains a top contender among “flying taxi” stocks, and could be just a few years away from its actual “liftoff moment.”

• Next year’s launch of lower-priced vehicles could be a game changer for fledgling EV maker Rivian Automotive.

• 10 stocks we like better than AST SpaceMobile ›

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.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the 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 (NYSE: ACHR), AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS), and Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN).

Image source: Getty Images.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Should you buy stock in AST SpaceMobile right now?

Before you buy stock in AST SpaceMobile, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and AST SpaceMobile wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $505,641!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,143,283!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 974% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of January 1, 2026.

Thomas Niel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.