Cathie Wood Goes Shopping: 3 Stocks She Just Bought

2025 has been a successful comeback year for the co-founder and CEO of Ark Invest, Cathie Wood. Her largest exchange-traded fund has seen a 31% increase this year, significantly outperforming the major market indexes which are only posting single-digit percentage gains in 2025. Every day after trading closes, Wood discloses Ark’s recent purchases. What stocks is she investing in now?

On Wednesday, Ark Investment purchased intriguing stocks such as Nvidia (NVDA, up 1.06%), Iridium Communications (IRDM, up 3.00%), and Teradyne (TER, up 0.88%). In fact, Wood augmented existing holdings in all these companies. Here’s a detailed examination of each:

1. Nvidia (NVDA) – A leading manufacturer of graphics processing units (GPUs) and system on chip units (SoCs), Nvidia is renowned for its work in artificial intelligence, gaming, and data centers.

2. Iridium Communications (IRDM) – This company operates the world’s only global satellite communications network, providing voice, SMS, and data services to customers worldwide. Its services are particularly useful in remote or underdeveloped areas where traditional cellular networks may not be available.

3. Teradyne (TER) – A multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells automatic test equipment used for testing semiconductors, electronic products, and telecommunications equipment, among other things. Its products are essential for ensuring the quality and reliability of electronic devices.

1. Nvidia

The AI revolution, which has propelled Nvidia to the forefront as the highest-valued U.S. stock on the market, can’t be halted. This tech company, known for creating graphics processing units and AI chips, achieved the milestone of becoming the first to surpass $4 trillion in market capitalization this summer, reaching another record high this week.

2025 saw a significant drop in Nvidia’s share value, with investors showing less enthusiasm earlier in the year. By the time Nvidia reached its lowest point, it had lost over a third of its value for the year. A double blow – first from news that a Chinese AI startup could generate decent AI results without using Nvidia’s latest chips, and later due to export restrictions on its high-end H20 chips being imposed in China – sparked the selling frenzy. However, the recovery story was as swift as some of the company’s fastest processors.

Nvidia has warned investors about potential billions in quarterly costs due to its struggle to export H20 chips into China, the world’s second-largest economy. But there may be a glimmer of hope amidst the trade war turmoil. This week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick informed Reuters that reinstating H20 sales could be a bargaining point in talks with China to secure more crucial rare-earth elements imports from them.

It appears that the initial fears about DeepSeek AI from China were exaggerated, as Nvidia has experienced a remarkable increase in its revenue. In its latest quarter, revenue jumped by an impressive 73%. Analysts predict that when Nvidia reports its financial results next month, revenue and earnings per share will rise by 52% and 47% respectively. Since its lows in April, the company’s shares have almost doubled. This latest success adds to the impressive track record of the U.S.’s most valuable publicly traded company, which has seen a stunning 10-fold increase over the past three years.

2. Iridium Communications

Iridium may not be experiencing the same rapid rebound as Nvidia, but it’s steadily climbing towards its previous highs. This satellite communications specialist in data and voice isn’t expanding as swiftly as the current market leader, yet its business is showing signs of progress. By the end of March, Iridium had more than 2.4 million active subscribers, a 5% increase compared to the past year. Next week, they will release their second-quarter financial results.

The expansion of the commercial Internet of Things is boosting growth, but the top-line increase hasn’t been significant. In fact, Iridium has only experienced double-digit revenue growth for one year in the past six years. However, its financial situation is showing more substantial improvement. Analysts predict a steady 6% growth for Iridium this year and a slight decrease to 4% by 2026. Yet, they anticipate an impressive increase of over 30% in their net income each year. This projected margin improvement could potentially raise Iridium’s current yield by nearly 2%.

3. Teradyne

Teradyne, a company that produces chip-testing equipment, is experiencing an increase in momentum. After two consecutive years of decreases exceeding 10%, the company reported a 5% rise in revenue last year. This positive trend continues, with the company’s total sales showing double-digit growth for two consecutive quarters. In simpler terms, Teradyne’s business is rebounding after a tough period and is now on an upward trajectory.

Teradyne might have been an early investment for Wood, as Samik Chatterjee at J.P. Morgan recently changed Teradyne’s shares from overweight to neutral, mere hours after Ark increased its stake in the company. Chatterjee is worried about customers delaying investments in semiconductor equipment due to the current economic climate; however, this short-term slowdown could result in accumulated demand in the long run. Despite expressing concerns, Chatterjee has raised J.P. Morgan’s price target for Teradyne to $102, which represents a 11% increase from the current share price.

Regrettably, Teradyne has experienced a second reduction in its ranking this month. While Wood prefers to back strong performers, she is not averse to taking advantage of minor setbacks in some underperforming stocks.

2025-07-18 00:22

1. Nvidia

2. Iridium Communications

3. Teradyne

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