When it comes to robotics exchange traded funds, the ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (CBOE: ARKQ) is one of the titans of the group, and it’s recently reminded investors about that status.
Somewhat quietly, ARKQ is higher by 15.28% over the past month, bringing its year-to-date gains to 17%. That’s good for one of the best 2021 showings among ARK Investment Management’s suite of actively managed ETFs.
“Companies within ARKQ are focused on and are expected to substantially benefit from the development of new products or services, technological improvements, and advancements in scientific research related to, among other things, energy, automation and manufacturing, materials, artificial intelligence, and transportation,” according to the issuer.
While ARKQ is on a torrid run of late, some market observers see more upside ahead for the ETF due to a couple of its holdings. No, that pair doesn’t include Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), which was the fund’s largest holding at a weight of almost 13% as of Nov. 4.
“One holding that’s actually a small market cap company is Vuzix,” Todd Gordon, founder of Inside Edge Capital Management, said on Tuesday in an interview with CNBC. “It popped 40% since Facebook’s Oct. 28 announcement, going Meta. It’s [now] pulling back. Support is around $10. If you actually look at a month-over-month rotation of all the holdings of that ARKQ, Vuzix is actually the strongest.”
Vuzix (VUZI) designs and manufactures augmented and virtual reality displays, making it an ideal play on the emerging metaverse investment theme. The stock accounts for 1.07% of ARKQ’s weight.
Another ARKQ component that could contribute to upside for the fund is Peter Thiel’s Palantir (PLTR). The maker of software platforms for the intelligence community is up 12.26% over the past month, accounting for essentially all of the stock’s year-to-date. Palantir’s platform focuses on counterterrorism and defense — two concepts that never go out of style and that come with long runways for government spending.
“Palantir has underperformed markets this year, rising by just 10% compared with the ARKQ ETF’s 15% gain. It went public in September last year, and at roughly $25, it still trades well above its reference price of $7.25,” according to CNBC.
The stock accounts for almost 1% of AKRQ’s weight.
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The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.