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Uber Stock Shock Puts 3 Autonomous Vehicle Shares On Retail Investors’ Radar

Simply Wall St · 1d ago

Waymo’s potential split from Uber has thrown a fresh spotlight on autonomous vehicles and advanced mobility, with one news event suddenly reshaping how investors think about robotaxis, ride hailing, and the companies that support them. A 4% move in Uber’s share price on the headlines shows how quickly sentiment can adjust when partnerships crack and competition heats up. This article looks at 3 stocks exposed to the same news story, each linked to autonomous driving or supporting technologies, and walks through why some investors may see opportunity while others might prefer to stay on the sidelines.

Appen (ASX:APX)

Overview: Appen is an AI lifecycle company that supplies the data sourcing, human annotation, and model evaluation work that helps train and test systems such as autonomous driving, speech recognition, and other AI applications for clients across technology, automotive, finance, retail, government, and healthcare.

Operations: Appen generates about A$104.1 million from Appen China and A$127.9 million from Appen Global, with additional smaller corporate revenue, supported by customers in the United States, China, Australia, and other countries.

Market Cap: A$220.2 million

Appen offers direct exposure to the data behind autonomous driving, as carmakers and mobility platforms need large volumes of high quality training and evaluation data to keep improving navigation and safety. Partnerships like Waymo and Uber are coming under pressure and more players are pursuing their own technology. The company’s work on multilingual audio benchmarks with Hugging Face and its relationships with 11 auto companies in China position Appen inside many of the AI programs investors are watching, but it is still loss making and heavily tied to volatile AI project spending and a concentrated set of large tech clients. For investors, that combination of strong AI relevance, relatively low valuation metrics, and business model risk makes Appen a stock that may warrant closer examination.

Appen’s relevance to autonomous driving and broader AI is clear, but the real story may lie in what the current pricing misses about its future. For the full context, see the analysis report for Appen

APX Discounted Cash Flow as at Jul 2026
APX Discounted Cash Flow as at Jul 2026

Scott Technology (NZSE:SCT)

Overview: Scott Technology designs and builds automated and robotic production lines for sectors like food processing, appliances, mining and logistics, supplying systems that handle everything from meat cutting and palletising to sample preparation in minerals labs. Its equipment and software help customers increase throughput, accuracy and safety, including in areas that support autonomous vehicles and industrial mobility.

Operations: Scott Technology generates revenue across several manufacturing segments, led by Manufacturing Europe at NZ$113.5 million, Manufacturing Americas at NZ$69.8 million, Manufacturing Rocklabs at NZ$53.4 million, Manufacturing Australia at NZ$33.0 million, Manufacturing China at NZ$18.8 million, and Manufacturing New Zealand at NZ$12.8 million, partly offset by NZ$19.6 million of eliminations.

Market Cap: NZ$212.2 million

Scott Technology sits at the intersection of robotics, automation and advanced mobility. A shift such as Waymo potentially operating independently of Uber can draw attention to suppliers that already have extensive experience automating complex, safety critical tasks. The company has been signing new multimillion dollar contracts in materials handling and minerals testing, its earnings have grown quickly, and its P/E ratio sits below both local and global Machinery averages, which some investors view as potential room for sentiment to adjust. At the same time, funding relies completely on external borrowing and management tenure is relatively short. The key consideration is whether order momentum and improving margins can stay ahead of those risks as autonomy spreads into more industries.

Scott Technology’s accelerating contract wins and below average P/E hint at a story the market may not be fully pricing, especially as automation spreads into autonomous mobility supply chains. The analyst forecasts for Scott Technology reveal what could change that view next.

NZSE:SCT P/E Ratio as at Jul 2026
NZSE:SCT P/E Ratio as at Jul 2026

SDI Group (AIM:SDI)

Overview: SDI Group is a UK based manufacturer of specialist digital imaging, sensing and control equipment, supplying cameras, sensors, lab instruments and environmental systems used in life sciences, industrial processes, astronomy and other technical applications.

Operations: SDI Group generates £25.3 million from Lab Equipment, £17.5 million from Industrial & Scientific Sensors, and £26.5 million from Industrial & Scientific Products.

Market Cap: £98.3 million

SDI Group gives you exposure to the hardware behind autonomy, as its imaging, sensing and control products can sit inside the labs, factories and testing rigs that support autonomous vehicles and robotics. Analysts expect steady earnings and revenue growth. Current profit margins and return on equity are improving, and the stock trades below some estimates of fair value despite a P/E above the broader industry, which some investors see as a quality premium. At the same time, 100% of liabilities are funded by higher risk external borrowing and management tenure is short, so execution and balance sheet discipline matter. With a board refresh under way and key results ahead, the question is whether SDI Group can turn that growth and robotics exposure into sustained shareholder value.

SDI Group’s improving margins and robotics exposure could be masking a far bigger story around growth, quality and balance sheet risk. The analysis report for SDI Group hints at what might really be driving the valuation gap.

SDI Discounted Cash Flow as at Jul 2026
SDI Discounted Cash Flow as at Jul 2026

The three stocks covered here are only a starting point, as the full screener surfaced 22 more companies with equally compelling autonomous vehicle and advanced mobility narratives inside the Autonomous Vehicles and Advanced Mobility screener. You can use Simply Wall St to identify and analyze the specific catalysts, business models and risk profiles that matter most to you, so you can focus on the opportunities in this theme that best match your views.

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Seeking Alternatives Before The Window Closes

Fresh ideas are moving fast, with potential breakouts, changing valuations and under the radar for now stories that can get caught once the crowd arrives. Consider reviewing opportunities early.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.