2 Industrial Stocks to Buy With $100… If You Can Find a Sane Broker

Industrial stocks are like that one uncle who insists on giving unsolicited advice at Thanksgiving—loud, unfiltered, and somehow always at the center of the chaos. Year to date, the sector has been the market’s version of a toddler with a megaphone, gaining 15% as of late July. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is still catching up, trailing behind like a lost puppy. Analysts from FactSet claim this sector will dominate revenue growth through 2027 and come in second in EPS growth—behind energy, because of course, oil companies are still allowed to pretend they’re not dinosaurs in a climate crisis.

Now, if you’ve got exactly $100 to invest and a death wish for your portfolio, here are two industrial stocks that might make you feel like a genius… or a fool who forgot to check the fine print.

1. Archer Aviation: The Jetsons on a Budget

Archer Aviation (ACHR) is the kind of company that makes you question whether the stock market has a “reality” filter. It’s building electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft—basically, a flying car that costs $6.8 billion to develop. The goal? To bypass city traffic by flying people in battery-powered aircraft at 150 mph. If you’ve ever thought, “Sure, why not?” to a $200 latte, you’ll love this.

The stock is up 150% in a year, buoyed by a Trump-era executive order and partnerships with United Airlines and Stellantis. But let’s not forget: Archer is pre-revenue, burning cash, and hopes to navigate a regulatory maze that would make a tax accountant cry. Its order backlog is $6 billion, which sounds impressive until you realize it’s essentially betting that a prototype won’t crash during its first test flight.

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Still, if you’re the type of investor who thinks “disruption” is a business strategy and not a cry for help, Archer could be your next big thing. Just don’t blame me when the FAA turns it into a case study in bureaucracy.

2. United Parcel Service: The UPS of Regret

United Parcel Service (UPS) is the stock market’s version of a midlife crisis. It’s down 18% in 2025, and honestly, who can blame it? The company spent 2023 on a costly labor deal and 2024 watching its freight volume shrink like a sock in the dryer. Now, it’s slashing $3.5 billion in costs—20,000 jobs and 73 facilities—because apparently, the solution to everything is to fire people and burn buildings.

UPS is also distancing itself from Amazon, which accounted for 12% of its revenue in 2024 but paid “thinner margins than premium services.” Translation: Amazon is the ex who still texts you at 2 a.m. with demands, and UPS finally said, “No more.”

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Despite the carnage, Q2 2025 showed a $1.7 billion operating profit, up 3.3% from the previous quarter. At 15 times trailing earnings, it’s undervalued compared to its sector’s average of 28. And with a 6.4% dividend yield, it’s like getting a participation trophy for not losing everything.

So, if you’ve got $100 and a tolerance for companies that reinvent themselves by cutting jobs and burning partnerships, UPS might be your golden goose—or a goose that’s already been roasted.

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2025-08-02 11:58