Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest Loads Up On Joby, Archer Aviation As Airtaxi, Defense Prospects Grow

ARK Invest bought 2.56 million Archer shares and 753,000 Joby shares, investing $16.2 million.

• ARK Invest bought 2.57 million Archer shares for $11.9 million and 753,330 Joby shares for $1.3 million across three ETFs. 
• Joby is advancing real-world air-taxi flights through an FAA program. 
• Archer is expanding into defense by acquiring Boeing’s Wisk Aero, SkyGrid and Insitu.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest is doubling down on eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) stocks, buying more than 2.56 million Archer Aviation (ACHR) shares and 753,000 Joby Aviation (JOBY) shares as institutional interest in air taxis and defense aviation heats up. 

Both Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation stocks edged up 0.6% and 0.1%, respectively, overnight Tuesday.  

ARK Invest Adds $16.2M Of Archer, Joby Stocks 

The massive capital deployment across the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (ARKQ), and ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (ARKX) highlights Wood’s conviction that eVTOL technology is reaching an operational inflection point. Driven by expanding U.S. military logistics contracts and key FAA certification milestones, ARK is doubling down on market leaders scaling air taxi networks toward commercialization. 

ARK absorbed 1,787,367 Archer shares into ARKK, 562,685 shares into ARKQ, and 216,679 shares into ARKX, totaling 2,566,731 shares in a single session for $11.9 million, according to Tuesday’s closing price. It added 543,906 Joby shares via ARKQ and 209,424 shares via ARKX, bringing its total daily haul to 753,330 shares for $1.3 million. 

Joby’s Commercial Flight Trials And Archer’s Defense Bet 

Joby has gained momentum following its active involvement in the FAA’s Electric Powered-lift Integration Program (eIPP), advancing real-world flight operations in dense airspace.

Meanwhile, Archer is expanding beyond air taxis through a deal to acquire three Boeing-owned aerospace and defense businesses in exchange for Boeing shares. The businesses include Wisk Aero, which develops electric air taxis; SkyGrid, which manages autonomous aircraft; and Insitu, which makes drones for surveillance and defense. The deal would give Archer access to advanced aircraft, drone, and air-traffic technology.

ACHR, JOBY Stocks: Retail View 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around JOBY stock slipped to ‘bullish’ from ‘extremely bullish’ territory the previous day, while sentiment around ACHR stock remained ‘bearish’. 

A user said, “$JOBY Oh wow! Short sellers and put buyers are getting flustered as they sense the coming rebound.”

Another user said, “It wasn’t that long ago that the stock was almost at $19, and ACHR is way more valuable now. More partnerships, revenue from Hawthorne airport + Boeing deal, and hopefully some defense contracts soon (Anduril).”

ACHR, JOBY stocks have crashed between 56% and 38%, respectively, year-to-date. 

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