Robotics Stocks Surged on Wednesday. Here's Why.
Key Points
President Trump is reportedly considering signing an executive order in the new year to accelerate the development of robots in the U.S.
Such a move could boost select robotics stocks over the longer term.
Technological advances in robots of various types have sped up, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence,
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Robotics stocks had a strong day on Wednesday, with shares of pure-play robotics companies soaring and those of non-pure-play companies -- meaning they have operations other than those related to robotics -- also receiving boosts.
The catalyst was a Politico article stating that President Trump is considering signing an executive order in the new year to accelerate the development of robots in the United States. The article cited "people familiar with the discussions [with leaders of robotics companies] who were granted anonymity to share details."
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Such an executive order (or orders, plural) would follow the Trump administration's several executive orders on artificial intelligence (AI) signed this year to accelerate the country's lead in AI and keep China from catching up.
Image source: Serve Robotics.
The chart below shows how shares of various companies involved in robotics performed on Wednesday, along with additional data. For context, the S&P 500 index and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index gained 0.30% and 0.17%, respectively.
| Company | Stock Price Change Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025 | Stock Total Return Year-to-Date 2025 |
Stock Total Return 3-Year |
Market Cap | Robotics Pure Play? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richtech Robotics (NASDAQ: RR) | 18.5% |
56.3% |
N/A | $837 million | Yes |
| Serve Robotics (NASDAQ: SERV) | 18.2% | (12.6%) | N/A | $879 million | Yes |
| Oceaneering International (NYSE: OII) | 5.9% | 0.6% | 69.8% | $2.6 billion | No |
| Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) | 4.1% | 10.6% | 129% | $1.4 trillion | No |
| Teradyne (NASDAQ: TER) | 2.7% | 55.5% | 113% | $30.6 billion | No |
| S&P 500 index | 0.30% | 17.8% | 75.7% | N/A | N/A |
Data sources: Yahoo! Finance and YCharts. Data as of Dec. 3, 2025.
Richtech Robotics develops and sells AI-powered service robots for various industries, including hospitality and healthcare. The company's products include robotic bartenders and cleaning robots. Richtech is not profitable, and its stock is only suited for investors comfortable with higher risk levels.
Serve Robotics develops and operates AI-powered sidewalk delivery robots that serve people in public spaces. The company's current focus is on last-mile food delivery in cities for its enterprise partners. Serve's major partner is the Uber Eats division of ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies, with which it has a platform-level integration. The company is not profitable, and its stock is only suitable for investors who are comfortable with higher risk levels.
Oceaneering International is a technology company that provides engineered services and products -- including robotic solutions -- mainly to the offshore energy industry. However, it also serves customers in other industries, most notably the aerospace and defense industry.
Electric vehicle (EV) pioneer Tesla currently does not make any money from selling robots. However, it's developing a humanoid robot called Optimus. CEO Elon Musk has said that he believes sales of Optimus could eventually be larger than sales of EVs. Musk recently said that the company is targeting early 2026 for the unveiling of Optimus version 3.
Teradyne develops automated test equipment and advanced robotics systems. Its robotics business manufactures collaborative robotic arms ("cobots") and mobile robotic systems for automating factories and warehouses.
For more data about humanoid robots, you may want to read my recent article (The Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy or Put on Your Watch List), which features the following companies: Nvidia, Tesla, Hyundai, and Hon Hai Precision (known as Foxconn). Nvidia's AI tech is used by nearly all companies developing robots.
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Beth McKenna has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia, Serve Robotics, Tesla, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends Teradyne. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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