Cathie Wood Goes Bargain Hunting: 3 Stocks She Just Bought

Despite their high-flying ambitions, it's been a year of descent for Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR), Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY), and WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD) investors. The three next-gen mobility stocks are down 38%, 56%, and 44% this year, respectively.

All three stocks were on Cathie Wood's radar this week. The co-founder and CEO of Ark Invest added to all three existing positions on Wednesday for her family of exchange-traded funds. Most of her funds have generated positive double-digit returns this year, so why load up on some of Ark's laggards in 2026? Let's take a closer look at these latest purchases.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Archer Aviation

Archer Aviation stock is down 38% this year, and that's better than the two other stocks singled out in this column from Wood's shopping list on Wednesday. The stock's performance has faced roadblocks, which is ironic, as the developer of the emerging electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft industry is in the middle of its "No Roads" flight tour.

Since kicking off in California last month, Archer has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alongside state and local partners to showcase piloted flights of its Midnight aircraft. Starting the tour in the Los Angeles area doesn't appear to be a coincidence. Archer is already the official air-taxi provider of the 2028 Summer Olympics, and it needs to clear final regulatory hurdles to get off the ground in more ways than one.

Archer already has deals in place with commercial airlines, promising to cut commuting times at major metropolitan airports for those with the means to pay for the premium air-taxi service. It also has military partners in place, another outlet for growth, given the sleek and quiet aircraft's ability to carry out essential missions with limited landing space.

Bears will knock the company today for its red ink and the lack of trailing revenue, but the latter will ramp up dramatically in the next few years:

• 2026: $15 million
• 2027: $143 million
• 2028: $511 million
• 2029: $1.39 billion
• 2030: $2.25 billion

Profitability will take longer to materialize. Analysts see that happening in 2029 on an adjusted basis and the following year on a reported basis. It has a strong cash position to see it through the next couple of years of losses, a potent balance sheet position that shrinks its $3.6 billion market cap to a mere $2.2 billion in enterprise value.

2. Joby Aviation

Joby Aviation is Archer's largest competitor. They are both flying through the certification process, but Joby is the one commanding the larger market valuation. It currently commands a market cap of $5.7 billion, which drops to an enterprise value of $4.2 billion once you factor in its equally robust net cash position.

Joby and Archer are expected to top $1 billion in annual revenue by 2029, but Joby isn't expected to turn a profit until 2031 at the earliest. Joby Aviation stock has plummeted 56% this year, the biggest drop among the three sinkers in this column.

Why is Joby commanding a market premium to Archer? Joby is marginally ahead in the FAA certification process, but one should follow the other quickly for approval. Joby has advantages in the current range and speed of its aircraft, but they both have promising partnerships in place to scale quickly when the time comes to fly, literally and figuratively.

3. WeRide

WeRide is another personal mobility play with a strong net-cash position. The Chinese company is a leader in autonomous driving products and services, backed by strong liquidity that reduces its $1.6 billion market cap to an enterprise value of $931 million.

WeRide holds autonomous-driving permits in nine different countries -- including the U.S. market -- but it's still in the process of developing and deploying operations in most of those territories. This is already a competitive niche, but it's one that can have many winners among self-driving car stocks, given the global opportunity.

In the meantime, WeRide is growing. Revenue has risen 73% through the first half of this year, and the top line should more than double in each of the next three years. It has burned through more than $200 million of its cash in the first six months of this year, so the race is on to see if it can turn that corner before it has to raise more money.

Analysts don't expect profitability until 2029. If that does happen -- and it hits Wall Street's revenue target of $1.6 billion that year -- its market cap should be substantially higher than where it is today.

Rick Munarriz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.