New York, January 11, 2026, 06:25 EST — The market has closed.
- NuScale shares climbed 4.4% on Friday following a Bank of America upgrade to neutral.
- Meta’s recent nuclear power contracts for its data centers sparked renewed interest in the nuclear and SMR sectors.
NuScale Power Corp shares climbed 4.4% on Friday to close at $20.51, following an upgrade to neutral from underperform by Bank of America. The stock fluctuated between $19.74 and $22.49, with roughly 51 million shares changing hands. BofA lowered its price target to $28 from $34, still about 37% above Friday’s closing price, citing “near-term cash cadence and equity overhang” as factors keeping the risk/reward balanced. Investing.com
Investors jumped on nuclear-related stocks after a fresh surge in Big Tech’s appetite for power. Meta Platforms revealed on Friday that it secured 20-year deals to buy electricity from three Vistra nuclear plants. The company also committed to backing projects with Oklo and TerraPower, aiming to tap up to 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2035. Joel Kaplan, a Meta executive, described the move as “one of the most significant corporate purchasers of nuclear energy.” Reuters
Timing is crucial for NuScale, as its stock now serves as a proxy bet on data centers willing to shell out for reliable, carbon-free power. When news breaks, these smaller reactor stocks can jump on sentiment—and just as swiftly lose those gains.
Small modular reactors, or SMRs, are compact nuclear units designed to be mass-produced and assembled in modules instead of being custom-built on location. Supporters argue this method could cut costs and speed up construction, while critics highlight lengthy permitting processes and risks tied to first-of-a-kind builds.
NuScale’s jump on Friday followed the broader nuclear sector higher. Oklo climbed roughly 7.9%, BWX Technologies edged up around 4.3%, and Centrus Energy tacked on about 6.9%.
NuScale’s most concrete commercial route runs through partner ENTRA1 Energy, which inked a deal with the Tennessee Valley Authority to roll out as much as six gigawatts of NuScale capacity, the company announced in November. CEO John Hopkins described it as “the largest SMR deployment program in U.S. history.” NuScale Power
But the risk remains the gap between hype and actual delivery. NuScale hasn’t yet launched a commercial reactor, and its stock hinges on securing licenses, funding, and binding customer contracts. Any delays or a fresh equity raise could hit investors hard.
U.S. markets remain closed until Monday, leaving traders to see if Friday’s buying pressure lasts. Attention will also turn to fresh updates on corporate power deals. Any change in management’s stance on customer discussions and funding requirements will be under close scrutiny.
NuScale will present at UBS’s Global Energy & Utilities Winter Conference on Jan. 12 and then at Needham’s Growth Conference on Jan. 15, per its investor events calendar.
