We recently compiled a list of the Why These 15 Hardware Stocks Are Skyrocketing So Far in 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) stands against the other hardware stocks.

The hardware industry is one of the most promising industries you can invest in right now, and there is a good chance that many companies in this sector are going to deliver triple-digit gains this year. You can thank AI for that since it requires significant amounts of hardware and various types of electrical and industrial equipment.

Of course, the hardware industry is beyond just AI-related stocks. PC sales are forecasted to grow by 4% to 273 million units, while smartphone shipments are anticipated to reach 1.24 billion units. Robotics and the semiconductor sector are likely going to grow at double digits annually this decade on top of that.

Methodology

For this article, I screened the top-performing hardware stocks year-to-date. Stocks that I have covered recently will be excluded from this list.

I will also mention the number of hedge fund investors in these stocks. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds invest in? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).

A computer programmer typing code in front of a 3D printed object, emphasizing new ways of product development.

3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 21

3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) has a pretty self-explanatory name. It is a company that makes 3D printers and other related products.

The stock is up significantly so far this year after 3D Systems Corporation announced the sale of its Geomagic software portfolio to Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence Division for $123 million. This move allows the company to focus on its core software platforms.

Plus, its subsidiary won the prestigious SLAS 2025 Innovation Award for its h-VIOS platform.

3D Systems Corporation also secured a multi-year purchase agreement worth nearly $250 million to support indirect manufacturing processes for clear aligners.

The consensus price target of $3.25 implies 31.49% downside.

3D Systems Corporation stock is up 42.38% year-to-date.

Overall DDD ranks 6th on our list of the hardware stocks that are skyrocketing so far in 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of DDD as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than DDD but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

 

READ NEXT: Why These 15 Automotive Stocks Are Skyrocketing So Far In 2025 and Why These 15 Large Tech Stocks Are Skyrocketing So Far in 2025

 

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.