Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 12, 2026
3 min readLast updated: February 12, 2026
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Schaeffler's pivot to humanoid robotics boosts its stock, decoupling from auto sector struggles, with plans for significant growth by 2035.
By Danilo Masoni
MILAN, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Schaeffler has emerged as a rare humanoid-robotics play in European stock markets, shifting the narrative around this high-precision auto parts supplier and helping its shares decouple from the turmoil gripping the sector.
Schaeffler, which employs 110,000 people, announced a partnership last month to supply components to UK tech company Humanoid and said it would integrate several hundred humanoids into its production network over the next five years. In November, it partnered with Neura Robotics.
Humanoids, viewed as the physical frontier of artificial intelligence, still make up less than 1% of the German company's sales, yet its shares have already rallied strongly.
Over the past year, an index for European autos and auto suppliers has lost 11%, most recently hit by Stellantis' hefty EV-related writedown, but Schaeffler has surged around 150% in that time, reaching a market cap of over 10 billion euros ($12 billion).
The outperformance reflects early bets by investors on how this new business stream could reshape a family-controlled company that is still largely tied to an auto industry exposed to U.S. tariffs, weak demand and Chinese competition.
Schaeffler's CEO Klaus Rosenfeld aims to generate up to 10% of sales by 2035 - over 3 billion euros - from sectors including humanoid robotics, defence, and electric vertical take-off. In 2024, revenues were 24.3 billion euros.
Lemanik fund manager Andrea Scauri said Schaeffler's jump has more to do with excitement around robotics-themed investing than with its auto business, which he still sees as "weak".
"There are no pure-play humanoid robotics companies listed, so investors are buying stocks like Schaeffler largely ignoring the underlying business. These are potentially very attractive bets, but still highly speculative," he said.
EUROPE PLAYS NICHE ROLE IN HUMANOID RACE
Although the humanoid race is led by the U.S. and China, Europe is carving out a niche role as industrial and component supplier, with companies such as Siemens, SKF and Renishaw also seen as well positioned.
In the auto sector, Tesla is pushing ahead with development of its in-house Optimus humanoid robot, while Asian carmakers such as Xpeng and Hyundai are building their own robots to pilot them on factory floors.
Several investment banks have raised their price targets on Schaeffler stock since January, with Bank of America setting the highest at 13 euros, about 21% above Wednesday's closing price.
UBS, however, last week downgraded Schaeffler, becoming the only broker with a sell rating.
"While the opportunity is meaningful, current valuations imply around 3 billion euros of humanoid value, significantly above our estimate of 1.6 billion," said UBS analyst Juan Perez-Carrascosa.
Schaeffler, which reports on March 3, trades at a 94% premium to the broader auto sector, per LSEG data, underscoring investors' willingness to pay up for its humanoid-robot ambitions.
(Reporting by Danilo Masoni; Editing by Amanda Cooper and Philippa Fletcher)
Humanoid robotics refers to robots designed to resemble and mimic human behavior and appearance, often used in various industries for tasks such as manufacturing and service.
Market capitalization is the total market value of a company's outstanding shares, calculated by multiplying the share price by the total number of shares.
eVTOL vehicles are aircraft that use electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically, often envisioned for urban air mobility and transportation.
Investor sentiment is the overall attitude of investors toward a particular security or financial market, often influenced by market trends and economic indicators.
A stock index is a measurement of the performance of a group of stocks, representing a specific market or sector, used as a benchmark for investment performance.
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