Investment strategist picks 5 nuclear energy stocks to watch after Trump's order

Following President Trump's executive order aimed at quadrupling domestic nuclear power production within 25 years, investment strategist Shay Boloor has identified five stocks poised to benefit from the shift towards nuclear energy as a key component of the AI-powered economy. Boloor highlights Cameco (CCJ), Constellation Energy (CEG), Vistra Corp (VST), Vertiv Holdings (VRT), and BWX Technologies (BWXT) as companies positioned to capitalize on the increased demand for reliable, carbon-free power, with Cameco seen as particularly crucial for uranium supply and Constellation as a key provider to data centers; year-to-date, CCJ, CEG and VST have rallied 12.5%, 33%, and 14% respectively, while VRT is down 8% and BWXT is up 7%.

Analysis

President Trump's executive order to quadruple domestic nuclear power production within 25 years is viewed as a pivotal move to re-architect the U.S. energy grid, essential for American leadership in an AI-powered economy, advanced manufacturing, and digital defense. Investment strategist Shay Boloor highlights this as an opportunity for significant growth in the nuclear sector. Among the companies identified, Cameco (CCJ), trading at $58.69 after an 11% gain in the last session and up 12.5% year-to-date, is positioned as a foundational uranium supplier, likened to 'the energy equivalent of TSMC.' Constellation Energy (CEG), at $297.49 (up 2% at press time) and up 33% year-to-date, is seen as an irreplaceable provider of carbon-free baseload power for major data centers. Vistra Corp (VST), priced at $158 and up 14% year-to-date, is recognized for its pivot to forward-looking energy delivery and battery storage. BWX Technologies (BWXT), at $119 (up 11% last session) and up 7% year-to-date, is considered a 'de-risked lever' on the nuclear ecosystem due to its experience in microreactor design and national security involvement. In contrast, Vertiv Holdings (VRT), essential for power distribution in AI clusters, is trading at $104 and is down 8% year-to-date. The article also notes emerging Small Modular Reactor (SMR) players like NuScale Power (SMR) and Oklo (OKLO) as potential future beneficiaries. The overall market sentiment for this development is positive (0.75 score), with per-ticker sentiments generally strong for CCJ (0.8), CEG (0.8), VST (0.7), and BWXT (0.8), but more moderate for VRT (0.3) and the emerging SMR players (0.4).

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should evaluate companies poised to benefit from the U.S. nuclear power expansion, particularly those with strong fundamentals and direct exposure to increased uranium demand, reactor operations, and critical power infrastructure supporting AI, such as CCJ, CEG, VST, and BWXT, which have shown positive year-to-date performance and strong sentiment.
• The underperformance of VRT (down 8% YTD, sentiment 0.3) despite its critical role in AI data center power distribution warrants a closer examination of its specific challenges or a potential contrarian opportunity relative to its peers.
• Consider allocating a smaller portion of a portfolio to speculative, early-stage small modular reactor (SMR) companies like SMR and OKLO, acknowledging their higher risk profile but potential for significant growth if regulatory and technological milestones are achieved.