SA Sentiment: Top nuclear energy stock picks

Nuclear energy has seen renewed interest amid the artificial intelligence boom, given the massive electricity demand from data centers, as well as the Trump administration’s push to speed up deployment and licensing of reactors.

In this backdrop, nuclear stocks have risen substantially this year, even outpacing the S&P 500’s growth so far this year.

Seeking Alpha’s Wall Street Breakfast recently polled readers on their favorite nuclear power stocks. Here are their top four picks:

• Oklo’s (NYSE:OKLO) order book exceeds 14GW, including an expected contract to power an Air Force base in Alaska. The company is targeting to deliver commercial power by 2027-end, and is working towards securing a license for its reactor. Investing Group Leader Michael Wiggins De Oliveira said while Oklo is still pre-revenue and regulatory licensing remains a big risk, “if they pull it off, this could be one of the most exciting energy stories of the next decade.”
• Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG) has the largest fleet of nuclear plants in the U.S. It has secured two 20-year deals to power data centers – one with Meta (META) and the other with Microsoft (MSFT). SA analyst Agar Capital believes Constellation is uniquely positioned to benefit from the AI boom, given its already operating nuclear plants and extendable licenses.
• Cameco (NYSE:CCJ), one of the world’s largest uranium producers, owns a 49% stake in Westinghouse Electric, which is reportedly considering the deployment of 10 large reactors in the U.S. SA analyst Investor Overview is bullish on Cameco as “utilities are likely to shift focus from enrichment and fabrication back toward securing long-term uranium supply.”
• NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR) is planning to deploy its first commercial small modular reactor by 2030, but analysts are on the sidelines for now given the lack of firm customer orders. SA analyst Blake Winiecki recently noted that while the stock has great momentum, he will remain cautious “until an actual deal is in place and expenses are brought down.”

Take a look at how the above stocks have fared YTD compared to the S&P 500: