What is nuclear energy?

Nuclear energy is the energy produced from either the chain reaction of splitting (fission) atoms or the combining (fusion) of light atoms into heavier atoms. Fission is the only commercially viable source of nuclear energy to date, and the heat it releases is used to generate steam to power turbines.

What is the leading company in nuclear energy?

Nuclear energy has only a few global players, and two companies are major leaders. Cameco is one of the largest producers of uranium and uranium products used to make nuclear fuels, while Westinghouse Electric -- a joint venture between Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM), the owner of 60% of Brookfield Renewable Partners -- is one of the largest providers of equipment, parts, and services to the global fleet of nuclear reactors in operation.

What nuclear company is Bill Gates investing in?

The Microsoft co-founder is the largest investor in TerraPower, a start-up developing a compact nuclear power plant that uses molten salt for energy storage. The company has started construction on a demonstration plant in Wyoming.

Is there an ETF for nuclear energy?

There are a number of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on nuclear energy, including the Global X Uranium ETF (NYSEMKT:URA), VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NYSEMKT:NLR), and the Range Nuclear Renaissance Index ETF (NYSEMKT:NUKZ).

Is Cameco a good stock to buy?

It's easy to be pulled in by rising share prices for nuclear energy stocks. Cameco is a great business, but investors should buy shares at a good valuation and monitor uranium prices to avoid overpaying.

Are nuclear energy stocks a good investment during times of economic uncertainty?

It depends on your tolerance for risk. As a highly regulated industry that provides an essential service, established nuclear energy companies can offer a safe, stable, and recurring source of revenue. New projects, however, have seldom, if ever, been completed on time and under budget and have tended to roil share prices.

Best Nuclear Energy Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

By Frank Bass – Updated Jul 21, 2026 at 11:42 AM EST | Fact-checked by Margo Winton Parodi

Key Points

Nuclear energy offers a carbon-free energy solution, favored by climate change challenges.
Cameco, a major uranium producer, shows potential despite its cyclical nature.
Investing in GE Vernova and Brookfield Renewable can diversify portfolios into nuclear.

Nuclear energy stocks have become compelling to many investors in recent years. Between climate change, the limits on solar and wind energy, advancements in storage technology, the still-high costs of hydrogen energy, and decades of data supporting nuclear energy as safe, there are good reasons to support this carbon-free energy source.

Let's take a closer look at the five top nuclear energy stocks.

5 top nuclear energy stocks

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Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market capMarket cap calculated using publicly traded shares outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded shares. Implied market cap may vary.	Dividend yield	Industry
Cameco (NYSE:CCJ)	$38.4 billion	0.19%	Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels
GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV)	$261.5 billion	0.18%	Electrical Equipment
Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE:BEP)	$10.0 billion	4.68%	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG)	$94.6 billion	0.62%	Electric Utilities
NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR)	$3.0 billion	0.00%	Electrical Equipment

Data as of Jul 31, 2026. Showing 5 of 5 total entries.

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1. Cameco

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NYSE: CCJ

Cameco

Today's Change

(4.33%) $3.66

Current Price

$88.23

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$38B

Day's Range

$86.15 - $88.38

52wk Range

$68.96 - $135.24

Volume

22.7K

Avg Vol

3.4M

Gross Margin

27.44%

Dividend Yield

0.19%

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NYSE: GEV

GE Vernova

Today's Change

(9.07%) $81.70

Current Price

$981.98

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$262B

Day's Range

$950.00 - $986.00

52wk Range

$530.16 - $1195.94

Volume

12.4K

Avg Vol

2.9M

Gross Margin

20.16%

Dividend Yield

0.18%

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General Electric completed its decade-long restructuring in April 2024. The legacy business was split into its remaining stand-alone entities, with GE Aerospace (GE +1.26%) keeping the stock ticker and CEO Larry Culp, and its energy business now standing on its own as GE Vernova (GEV +9.07%).

The new energy-focused company has been good to shareholders so far, and investors interested in nuclear should consider owning it. GE has been in the nuclear power business since the 1950s, and Vernova is one of a handful of companies with significant market share in nuclear reactors.

The spinoff of GE Vernova included GE's nuclear business, part of its Power segment (including its gas, steam, and hydroelectric business), its Wind segment, and its Electrification segment. A few things make this GE spinoff a compelling nuclear energy stock. As a starting point, Vernova's capital allocation as a standalone, energy-focused company should deliver better results.

Part of GE Vernova's growth market is small modular reactors (SMRs), which are expected to be an important part of a more decentralized and flexible electric grid. The company received permission in mid-2025 to begin construction of an SMR in Ontario, which would be the first reactor of its type in the Western hemisphere and capable of powering roughly 300,000 homes.

3. Brookfield Renewable

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NYSE: BEP

Brookfield Renewable Partners

Today's Change

(3.19%) $1.01

Current Price

$32.66

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$10.0B

Day's Range

$32.04 - $32.97

52wk Range

$24.13 - $38.12

Volume

626

Avg Vol

922K

Gross Margin

16.88%

Dividend Yield

4.68%

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Like GE Vernova, Brookfield Renewable (BEP +3.19%) isn't a pure-play nuclear energy stock. The company owns, operates, and invests in hydroelectric, wind, solar, and energy storage facilities today.

It entered the nuclear market in November 2023 when it bought a majority stake in Westinghouse -- one of the world's largest nuclear services companies -- from Brookfield Business Partners (NYSE:BBU), taking on Cameco as a minority partner in the $8.2 billion deal. This move into nuclear energy isn't the first time Brookfield Renewable has diversified.

Historically focused on hydroelectric, it moved heavily into wind and solar in the mid-2010s and has more recently begun investing in energy storage. With nuclear now on the menu, Brookfield has a long, solid legacy of moving into nascent and formerly out-of-favor technologies when there's a clear path to profits. The latter seems to be the case with its investment in Westinghouse.

Brookfield offered an attractive dividend of roughly 5% in mid-2026, and management hopes to raise it by 5% to 9% annually. In addition, it signed a massive power purchase agreement (PPA) with Microsoft (MSFT +15.51%) in 2024, promising to deliver more than 10 gigawatts of renewable energy to the tech giant by 2030.

4. Constellation Energy

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NASDAQ: CEG

Constellation Energy

Today's Change

(2.17%) $5.61

Current Price

$263.56

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$95B

Day's Range

$261.90 - $270.27

52wk Range

$228.63 - $412.70

Volume

3.2K

Avg Vol

3.7M

Gross Margin

13.18%

Dividend Yield

0.62%

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Constellation Energy is the leading nuclear power producer in the United States by a wide margin. It has 60 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity, still beating out the 44 GW produced by Vistra (VST +4.07%), its closest peer.

The company signed a 20-year power production agreement (PPA) with Microsoft (MSFT +15.51%) in September 2024 to support the launch of the Crane Clean Energy Center -- formerly known as Three Mile Island -- slated for 2027. The agreement gives 835 megawatts of power to the tech giant for data center operations.

Constellation also plans to offer nuclear power from the 1.1 GW Clinton Clean Energy Center, which has been heavily subsidized by Illinois taxpayers due to poor economics.

Constellation became the largest clean energy producer when it closed its $26.6 billion acquisition of Calpine in early 2026. The deal boosted its capacity to nearly 60 GW and was expected to increase earnings per share (EPS) by more than 20% and to add $2 billion to its annual free cash flow.

5. NuScale Power

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NYSE: SMR

NuScale Power

Today's Change

(13.31%) $1.01

Current Price

$8.60

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$3.0B

Day's Range

$7.79 - $8.68

52wk Range

$7.21 - $57.42

Volume

298.4K

Avg Vol

32.8M

Gross Margin

19.69%

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Investors looking for more pure-play nuclear companies and a high risk tolerance level may prefer a company like NuScale, a start-up that's trying to take small-scale reactors commercial. The company's stock has been boosted by the Trump administration's plans to loosen regulations for new nuclear plants and boost the production of small modular reactors (SMRs).

Although the U.S. Army announced an initiative to build small reactors to power its hundreds of military installations in the United States, NuScale should still be treated as an extremely speculative investment. While NuScale could prove a huge winner, it's still very early in its existence.

It went public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in May 2022 and isn't likely to have its first VOYGR SMR power plant fully operational in the U.S. anytime soon. NuScale pulled the plug on a Utah reactor project in November 2023 and currently has no new projects announced with a definitive completion date.

How to invest in nuclear energy stocks

Anyone can invest in nuclear energy stocks. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add one to your portfolio:

Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments. If you don't have one yet, take a look at our favorite brokers and trading platforms to find the right one for you.
Search for the stock: Enter the ticker into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.

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Benefits and risks of investing in nuclear energy stocks

While nuclear energy offers tremendous potential, it's historically been a perilous investment. The upsides are enormous, but so are the downsides. Here are some of the benefits.

Massive expansion of data centers: Given the vast amounts of electricity needed to power data centers, tech giants are turning to nuclear power as a potential source of baseload power.
Government support: The volatility of fossil fuels and skepticism about renewable energy have increased federal support for nuclear power in the United States, especially when it involves obtaining permits that once took years.
Diversification: Nuclear energy investments aren't limited to developers of massive reactor projects. Exchange-traded funds offer investors the opportunity to diversify their holdings through uranium miners, utilities, and technology companies.

That said, there are significant risks:

Cost: The average cost overrun of a new nuclear reactor exceeds 100%. The newest U.S. reactor, Plant Vogtle, was finished in 2023 -- seven years late and $17 billion over budget.
Speculative valuations: Companies like NuScale and Oklo have attracted attention for innovative reactor designs but remain years away from building a functioning plant.
Regulation: While the current regulatory environment favors nuclear projects, the pendulum can quickly swing the other way. After the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, Japan shut down all 54 of its reactors for four years.

The five companies discussed here are all deeply embedded in the nuclear industry. All are publicly traded, with market capitalizations ranging from $2.8 billion for a relative newcomer like NuScale to $290 billion for industry titan GE Vernova.

While market capitalization was an important factor in their selection, attention paid to the effects of artificial intelligence on the planet's electricity grid was also a major consideration. As AI develops, the need for dispatchable -- always available -- power for data centers will continue to soar. Although they're more expensive and take far more time to build, nuclear plants are expected to be part of the solution.

Finally, all five companies are involved in developing small modular reactors, which are viewed as a potential solution to one of nuclear energy's most perennial and thorny problems: the cost of construction and the time it takes to bring nuclear power plants online.

The bottom line

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Nuclear energy stocks FAQ

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About the Author

Frank Bass is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst and editor covering energy, healthcare, consumer, and financial sectors. Frank has decades of experience in financial journalism, holding reporting and editing roles at The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and Bloomberg. He also currently edits research on the global energy transition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas Tech University and is a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Fun Facts: Frank has hiked The Long Trail in Vermont from end to end, and currently lives in a semi-dry cabin in Interior Alaska.

TMFEditFool

Frank Bass has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Cameco, Constellation Energy, GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Renewable Partners and NuScale Power. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Best Nuclear Energy Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest