We recently published a list of 11 Best 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Stocks to Buy. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) stands against other best 3D printing and additive manufacturing stocks to buy.
3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Industry Outlook 2025
According to Fortune Business Insights, the international 3D printing market was valued at $19.33 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.4% to reach 101.4 billion by 2032. The industry is driven by the rapid rise of digitization and increased adoption of advanced technologies. The report indicates that a shift towards smart factories, machine learning, and robotics is expected to fuel demand for the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry.
Moreover, a report published by the 3D Printing Industry highlighted significant trends moving into 2025. As per the report industry experts expect AI and automation to revolutionize 3D printing workflows through optimizing design, production, and post-processing workflows. AI-powered monitoring systems. In addition, AI-driven designs are also accelerating the creation of lightweight, high-performance components, particularly for aerospace, defense, and automotive applications. These advancements reduce failures, improve efficiency, and unlock new possibilities for complex designs. Industry experts also believe that 2025 will mark the year of full industrialization of additive manufacturing as an industry that will go beyond prototyping to mass production. By 2025, the technology is expected to achieve cost-competitive manufacturing for high-performance applications in sectors such as aerospace, medical, and automotive.
The report also highlighted Sona Dadhania, Principal Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, outlook for the industry. Dadhania has a cautiously optimistic outlook for the 3D printing industry in 2025, emphasizing both challenges and opportunities. She identifies macroeconomic factors as key influences on the industry’s near-term trajectory. In 2024, rising interest rates discouraged the purchase of 3D printing equipment, while broader economic difficulties, particularly in Europe, created significant headwinds. Moreover, Germany, which is a critical market for additive manufacturing, faced notable challenges due to its economic struggles as well. She noted that these unfavorable conditions are likely to persist in 2025, with additional uncertainty arising from potential tariffs that could further hinder adoption, especially among new users.
Despite these obstacles, Dadhania highlights areas of potential growth. She noted that established users who are scaling up their additive manufacturing operations and services are likely to drive progress. The focus will remain on high-value applications, with solutions tailored to meet the demands of industries seeking advanced capabilities.
Our Methodology
To curate the list of 11 best 3D printing and additive manufacturing stocks to buy we used ETFs, financial media reports, and stock screeners. Using these sources we aggregated a list of 3D printing stocks. Next we ranked these stocks in ascending order of the number of hedge fund holders, sourced from Insider Monkey’s Q4 2024 database. We have also added the analyst upside potential for each stock. Please note that the data was recorded on March 19, 2025.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Is Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) the best 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Stock to Buy?
A software engineer using AutoCAD Civil 3D to create a 3D design in a modern office setting.
Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) is a leading company specializing in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software. It provides advanced solutions for industries such as architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, and entertainment. It offers tools including AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, and BuildingConnected to support building information modeling, construction management, and infrastructure design.
On March 20, Morgan Stanley analyst Elizabeth Porter maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $385. Porter noted that the nomination of new directors by Starboard is expected to improve communication and execution, addressing investor concerns and boosting confidence in management’s ability to achieve margin expansion goals. Moreover, the analyst believes that despite softening demand in the architecture sector, Autodesk, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:ADSK) strong business model, supports sustainable growth, due to its high retention rates and pricing power.
Porter noted that the company focuses on optimizing its go-to-market strategy and achieving top industry GAAP margins. She also noted the potential for margin expansion and EPS growth driven by the company’s new transaction model, projecting an 8% upside to market EPS expectations for fiscal years 2026–2028. Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) is the best 3D printing and additive manufacturing stock to buy.
Parnassus Mid Cap Fund stated the following regarding Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:
“In Software, we added Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) and Cloudflare while exiting Bill.com. We believe Autodesk’s dominant position in architecture, engineering and construction software allows it to increase margins and offer attractive revenue growth. Autodesk is a market-leading vertical software company with the ability to meaningfully improve its margins, while its revenue growth should accelerate as it completes its sales channel re-alignment.”
Overall, ADSK ranks 1st on our list of best 3D printing and additive manufacturing stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of ADSK as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ADSK but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
