Buy 3 Drone Technology Stocks to Enhance Your Portfolio Returns in 2026

A drone, also called unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is a broad term that refers to an aircraft that operates autonomously or by remote control with no pilot on board. The technology has evolved over the years to graduate from basic civilian and military operations to highly advanced missions, making drones an indispensable tool in various industries. 

We have narrowed our search to three drone-technology-centric bigwigs that provide the hardware and software to operate drones. These stocks will enrich your portfolio in 2026. These stocks are: AeroVironment Inc. AVAV, Coherent Corp. COHR and Trimble Inc. TRMB. Each of our picks carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The chart below shows the price performance of our three picks year to date.

AeroVironment Inc.

AeroVironment designs, develops, produces and operates a portfolio of products and services for government agencies, businesses and consumers. AVAV operates through two segments: Unmanned Aircraft Systems, which focuses primarily on the design, development, production, support and operation of UAS and tactical missile systems that provide situational awareness, multi-band communications, force protection and other mission effects, and Efficient Energy Systems, which focuses primarily on the design, development, production, support and operation of electric energy systems. 

AVAV supplies UAS, tactical missile systems and related services primarily to organizations within the United States Department of Defense. AVAV also supplies charging systems and services for electric vehicles, and power cycling and test systems to commercial, consumer and government customers. AVAV serves the U.S. Department of Defense, including the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Special Operations Command, Air Force, and Navy.

AeroVironment has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of more than 100% and 10.4%, respectively, for the current year (ending April 2026). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has remained the same over the last seven days.

Coherent Corp.

Coherent empowers market innovators to define the future through breakthrough technologies, from materials to systems. COHR delivers diversified applications for the industrial, communications, electronics and instrumentation markets. 

COHR also offers research and development, manufacturing, sales, service and distribution facilities. COHR operates through three segments, namely, Networking, Materials and Lasers.

Coherent has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 15.2% and 42.2%, respectively, for the current year (ending June 2026). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 9.6% over the last 30 days.

Trimble Inc.

Trimble benefits from strong growth in its recurring revenue streams, particularly in its AECO and Field Systems segments, with increased customer adoption of its digital solutions and AI-driven innovation. 

TRMB’s significant growth in its ARR is a major positive. It is benefiting from its “Connect and Scale” approach, which has strengthened its business model and product offerings, particularly in the construction, geospatial, and transportation markets. 

TRMB remains focused on software-driven revenue streams and AI-powered solutions to drive future growth. The company has made software and services an integral part of its growth strategy. 

TRMB’s open application programming interface philosophy and open vendor environment speed up the process of adoption of its software offerings. The company also has a wide range of patent portfolio of more than 1,000 unique patents thereby strengthening its product offerings.

Trimble has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 6.9% and 11.1%, respectively, for next year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for next year’s earnings has improved 2.4% over the last 30 days.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research