3 AI stocks to buy before August 2026 
Velo3D Forges a New Reality After Its Sharp Stock Sell-Off
Written by Jeffrey Neal Johnson on July 22, 2026
Key Points
- Velo3D’s stock has fallen sharply, but the company’s industrial-scale manufacturing push gives bulls a turnaround argument.
- Defense, aerospace and energy demand could support Velo3D’s metal additive manufacturing platform if orders translate into revenue.
- Heavy short interest, weak profitability and unverified short-report claims make VELO a high-risk, high-volatility small-cap stock.
- Special Report: This tiny piece of glass could be bigger than GPUs
Investors looking for a classic divergence between physical business fundamentals and near-term market sentiment should take a moment to review Velo3D (NASDAQ: VELO). Velo3D's shares have endured severe market punishment over the past month, shedding more than 50% of their market value.
When a stock drops that aggressively, many investors' initial reaction is to run for the exits. However, looking under the hood reveals a completely different narrative taking shape on the factory floor, one that presents a compelling case for investors willing to dig deeper.
Velo3D currently trades near $11, representing a stark discount from its 52-week high of $31.75. This price action looks alarming on a chart, but the underlying business is undergoing a critical structural evolution. Velo3D recently inaugurated its 289,000-square-foot Forge 1 campus in Livermore, signaling an aggressive transition from specialized prototyping to industrial-scale output.
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The 3D printing sector has spent the better part of a decade trapped in the research and development phase. Companies built highly complex machines that were fantastic at creating one-off prototypes but struggled with serial production. Velo3D's new Forge 1 shatters that ceiling and fundamentally changes the company's operational capabilities.
Spanning nearly 289,000 square feet, this facility brings the total footprint capacity to 125 large-format metal additive manufacturing systems. Initially supporting 40 systems, the infrastructure is engineered to aggressively ramp up output over time.
This extensive capacity expansion directly answers surging demand for localized, resilient supply chains, cementing a formidable competitive moat. By examining the underlying data, you can see how the physical scale of additive manufacturing might eventually outweigh the algorithmic trading pressures currently weighing on Velo3D's stock price.
Heavy Lifting: Supply Chain Shifts
Defense contractors face a structural mandate to onshore their supply chains. Relying on fragile, overseas logistics networks for mission-critical aerospace components introduces unacceptable national security risks. Investors can see this urgency reflected directly in the order books. Mears Machine Corporation recently purchased its fifth Sapphire XC system, validating the demand for distributed manufacturing across the aviation, space, and energy sectors. These contractors are not buying expensive machines to tinker in a lab; they are deploying fleets to pump out high-tolerance parts at volume.
Competitors are pivoting toward single-pass jetting for broad consumer production, but Velo3D maintains a near-monopoly in laser powder bed fusion for extreme-tolerance aerospace applications. Metal additive manufacturing involves complex thermal dynamics that traditionally cause warping and inconsistencies. Velo3D solves this with its Assure quality control and Flow print preparation software, ensuring repeatability across every single build. This technological advantage is practically impossible for legacy manufacturers to replicate overnight.
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A glaring disconnect exists between the ribbon-cutting at Forge 1 and the current share price. On June 25, 2026, Morpheus Research released a targeted short report alleging that executive credentials were fabricated and that the relationship with SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) was degraded. The market reacted violently, compressing Velo3D's stock by about 55% over a 30-day period and turning it into a highly contested battleground stock.
Short interest now hovers above 35%, representing roughly five million shares of the floating supply. With days-to-cover sitting near 1.04, the stock is coiled and primed for volatility. Bears are betting that Velo3D will burn through its cash reserves before Forge 1 reaches sustained profitability. Top institutional holders currently display conservative position sizing, with Tema ETFs LLC leading the pack at 2.56%. This relatively low institutional ownership leaves the float highly reactive to retail sentiment and to coordinated short selling.
The business's physical reality presents a high hurdle for the short thesis. In mid-June, CEO Arun Jeldi confirmed that the SpaceX Raptor 4 engine relies on the Velo3D platform, directly challenging the core allegations of the short report. Velo3D also recently joined the Russell 3000 Index.
This index integration triggers mandatory passive institutional accumulation, injecting structural liquidity into the stock and creating a natural floor against relentless shorting. Insiders are holding steady amid the volatility. Directors Adrian Keppler, Stefan Krause, and Lloyd Jason Michael converted thousands of restricted stock units into common shares in late June without dumping them on the open market. This passive equity accumulation signals board-level confidence in the long-term capitalization strategy despite the near-term drawdown.
Revenue Reality Check: The Cost of Expansion
Fundamental analysts cannot ignore the balance sheet, and Velo3D carries friction points that require close monitoring. The business has a trailing 12-month revenue of $45.97 million and trades at a price-to-sales ratio of around 4. Profitability metrics remain heavily inverted, logging a net margin of -107.94% and a return on equity of -124.30%. The current ratio is healthy at 2.45, paired with a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, providing a stable near-term operating runway. Still, the extensive capital expenditure required to bring Forge 1 online demands immediate revenue realization to stem ongoing cash burn.
The first quarter 2026 earnings report offered a distinct glimmer of operational efficiency. Velo3D reported a loss of 20 cents per share, decisively beating the consensus estimate of a 48-cent loss. Revenue also outpaced expectations, coming in at $13.82 million against a projected $9.86 million.
Management is actively anchoring long-term revenue visibility through the Rapid Production Solutions framework and securing multi-year master service agreements. By transitioning from selling standalone hardware to providing end-to-end mass production consulting and output, Velo3D shifts toward a more predictable, recurring revenue model.
Wall Street analysts recognize this structural shift. Despite the noise surrounding the short report, the consensus rating remains a Moderate Buy. Lake Street recently raised its price target from $18 to $20, while Needham maintains a highly bullish $33 target, rooted in defense-sector tailwinds. The average target of $22.60 implies over 100% upside from current trading levels, suggesting institutional research desks view the recent drawdown as an overreaction rather than a fundamental collapse.
The Architect's Call: Weighing the Risks
Investing in growth-stage industrial tech requires parsing through extreme volatility to find the underlying value. Velo3D is effectively cornering the market on laser powder bed fusion, solving immediate supply chain bottlenecks for the defense sector at a critical time in global geopolitics.
The transition from a specialized niche to a mass-production powerhouse carries undeniable execution risk. The aggressive short position and current margin deficits introduce turbulence that will inevitably shake out weak hands.
Yet, the physical capacity now operational at Forge 1 aligns perfectly with the macroeconomic mandate for localized, high-complexity defense manufacturing. The orders are materializing, the production lines are live, and passive institutional buying provides a structural tailwind.
Investors building a high-conviction portfolio might consider adding Velo3D to their watchlist as Forge 1 ramps up utilization rates and top-line revenue growth accelerates, while cautious traders may prefer to monitor the short interest data and wait for a confirmed technical breakout before committing capital.
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