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Sam Altman Startup Explodes 176% This Month ; Cathie Wood Makes Her Move As Nuclear Stocks Heat Up

Oklo (OKLO) — the nuclear power startup backed by OpenAI head Sam Altman — has surged more than 175% in October as major hyperscalers have decided to double down on the nuclear renaissance to fuel data centers and artificial intelligence.

Nuclear energy-related plays, including Oklo, have been on a tear since late September when Microsoft (MSFT) announced a two-decade contract with S&P 500 component Constellation Energy (CEG) to provide nuclear power for the tech giant's data centers.

Now, Amazon.com (AMZN) and Alphabet (GOOGL) have also inked nuclear deals, sending nuclear-related stocks higher. However, many of the stocks are extended.

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Both Amazon and Google announced in recent days decisions to invest in developing the emerging small modular reactors, or SMRs, technology. SMRs do not currently exist but there are a number of companies working to develop the technology. In March, Amazon made an early move toward nuclear, paying $650 million for a Talen Energy (TLNE) nuclear-powered data center campus in Pennsylvania.

Top hyperscalers — the largest cloud, data center and AI operators, which include Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta (META) — are increasingly looking to nuclear power as a solution to vaulting energy consumption from data centers.

AI And Nuclear Energy

So far in 2024, nuclear power and utility stocks have been riding the artificial intelligence energy wave.

Artificial intelligence — and the data centers needed to train the systems — are expected to boost energy demand throughout this decade. In the U.S., McKinsey & Co. projects that data center energy demand will grow from around 4% currently, as percentage of total energy demand, to 11%-12% by 2030.

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Many technology companies are investing in or partnering with nuclear power providers to ensure energy supplies for their data centers.

Morgan Stanley analysts have proclaimed in recent months that a "nuclear renaissance" is underway.

They wrote that nuclear power, while still a divisive issue, is making a comeback. The firm sees $1.5 trillion in investment in new capacity through 2050.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst David Arcaro wrote that the Constellation-Microsoft deal "proves out the value of nuclear power for hyperscalers, with higher prices for future deals."

Stocks Rally

S&P 500 leader Vistra (VST), a nuclear power utilities play, fell 2% during premarket trade on Tuesday after dropping 0.6% to 130.37 on Monday.

Fellow S&P 500 component Constellation Energy fell 1% Tuesday after gaining 1.3% to 273.62 Monday.

Vistra and Constellation Energy have surged 40% and 30%, respectively, since The Microsoft-Constellation Energy deal on Sept. 20.

JPMorgan on Thursday initiated coverage of S&P 500 components Constellation Energy and Vistra Energy. The firm handed both VST and CEG an overweight rating.

JPMorgan has a 342 price target on Constellation Energy and a 178 price target on Vistra. This represents further 22% upside to CEG and 31% upside for VST compared to current trading levels.

Meanwhile, Oklo edged down around 1% early Tuesday after jumping 22.4% to 22.31 Monday. Oklo stock ballooned nearly 100% last week. The stock ended Friday up 15.9% to 18.23. Oklo stock surged 40.5% on Wednesday after clearing an early entry Tuesday.

The Altman-backed SMR developer has soared 175.8% in October and around 237% since the Microsoft-Constellation Energy deal.

Cathie Wood and her ARK Invest sold 378,589 shares of Oklo on Monday for $8.45 million, based on the stock's closing price. Prior to Monday, ARK Invest built a position of more than 1 million shares of Oklo since mid-July. Peter Thiel is also a major investor in Oklo.

Fellow SMR-focused company Nano Nuclear Energy (NNE) declined around 6% early Tuesday. NNE advanced 34.2% Monday, adding to an 8.8% gain from Friday. NEE shares leapt 37.8% last Wednesday.

NuScale Power (SMR) also edged down about 2% Tuesday. The stock advanced 4.2% to 18.98 Monday. SMR gained 1% on Friday. SMR shares also soared 40% last Wednesday.

Uranium refiner Cameco (CCJ) edged down 0.2% Tuesday. Last week, the stock gapped above a 52.32 buy point. CCJ was last Wednesday's IBD Stock Of The Day.

Canada-based Cameco is one of the world's largest providers of uranium with utilities around the globe relying on the company to provide nuclear fuel solutions.

Meanwhile, Uranium Energy (UEC), which engages in uranium exploration and development in the U.S. Southwest and Paraguay, edged up a fraction Tuesday.

UEC advanced 1.3% to 8.46 Friday, adding to a 4.7% gain from Thursday.

The company said Thursday it received approval from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to increase uranium production capacity at a major processing plant.

Please follow Kit Norton on X @KitNorton for more coverage.