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Electricity demand over the next 20 years is expected to run six times higher than from 2005 to 2025, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles. Nuclear power is set to help meet it. Small reactor developers Oklo and NuScale Power are risky bets. In the second quarter of 2026, Oklo made $1.4 million in revenue against $74.4 million in operating expenses; NuScale made $75,000 against just over $64 million. Neither pays a dividend. Dividend payers offer other routes. Constellation Energy, which runs the largest US nuclear fleet, yields about 0.5% and has power deals with Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon. NextEra Energy yields 3.2% and plans to buy Dominion Energy. Brookfield Renewable yields 5.3% and owns a stake in Westinghouse.

3 dividend stocks riding the same nuclear build-out from different angles. The nuclear power sector offers options from high-risk industry upstarts like Oklo to reliable dividend stocks like NextEra. Key points. * The nuclear power industry is undergoing a renaissance, driven by massive demand from new technologies like AI and electric vehicles. * You could invest in the sector by taking a high-risk on upstarts like Oklo or NuScale Power. * Or you could play it safe with dividend stocks like Constellation Energy, Brookfield Renewable, and NextEra Energy. * 10 stocks The Motley Fool, LLC like better than Oklo" Over the next 20 years, demand for electricity is expected to be six times higher than it was between 2005 and 2025. That step change in demand is being driven by new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles. Nuclear power is expected to play an important part in meeting that demand, leading to something of a renaissance for the industry. You could play into that revival with high-risk investments, such as Oklo (OKLO -6.80%) or NuScale Power (SMR -6.88%). Both are money-losing upstarts attempting to build small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). Or you could play it safe with dividend stocks like Constellation Energy (CEG -1.77%), Brookfield Renewable (BEP -1.66%), and NextEra Energy (NEE +1.38%). Here's why the dividend stocks could be a better choice. Earnings are likely years away. When it comes to nuclear power, Oklo and NuScale are at the cutting edge. Both are attempting to build small modular nuclear reactors. Oklo wants to build and operate its own reactors, while NuScale wants to build reactors and sell them to others to operate. SMRs are exciting because their small size and modern safety technology would allow them to be placed closer to where they are used. Think about an artificial intelligence data center powered by an SMR, which would help it avoid taxing the electric grid and driving electricity prices higher. There's just one problem. Oklo generated $1.4 million dollars of revenue in the second quarter of 2026, versus operating expenses of $74.4 million. NuScale's situation looks even worse, with revenues of $75,000 and operating expenses of just over $64 million. Simple math shows they are both bleeding red ink. Clearly, neither of these stocks is appropriate for risk-averse investors. In fact, it could be years before either is sustainably profitable. And since they aren't yet profitable, you can forget about dividends. Three dividend options across the risk spectrum. But you can invest in nuclear power while generating dividend income, with options to suit different risk profiles. For example, Constellation Energy works outside of the regulated utility market, selling power directly to customers. It operates the largest fleet of nuclear reactors in the United States, with major nuclear power deals with Microsoft (MSFT +0.97%), Meta (META +3.50%), and Amazon (AMZN -1.15%) to help each build out its AI infrastructure. Missed Nvidia in 2009? This rare signal is flashing again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. If you'd invested $5,000 then, you'd be sitting on $2,980,404 today.* Now, for the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. It's a key player in the $1.8 trillion space race, and with the stock recently sitting 20% off its highs, the window to get in early is closing fast. *Stock Advisor returns as of October 12, 2026. Constellation Energy Premium Feature Moneyball Superscore Today's Change ( -1.77 %) $ -5.28 Current Price Key data points. Market Cap Day's Range $ 290.40 - $ 301.77 52wk Range $ 228.63 - $ 412.70 Gross Margin Dividend Yield The yield is a bit miserly at roughly 0.5%, but the real story here is about growth. Notably, since Constellation isn't a regulated utility, it can charge market rates for the power it sells. Given today's strong demand for electricity, this independent power producer is well-positioned to profit. NextEra Energy Premium Feature Moneyball Superscore Today's Change ( 1.38 %) $ 1.07 Current Price Market Cap Day's Range $ 77.33 - $ 78.44 52wk Range $ 74.41 - $ 98.75 Gross Margin Dividend Yield NextEra Energy is another utility option, with its planned acquisition of Dominion Energy (D +1.28%) expected to push it into the number two spot in the U.S. nuclear space. Dominion, notably, operates in one of the world's most important data center markets. NextEra's dividend yield is 3.2%, and the dividend has been increased annually for over 30 years. And it operates both a large regulated utility and one of the world's largest solar and wind power businesses. It is a comfortable middle ground between growth and income. Brookfield Renewable Partners Premium Feature Moneyball Superscore Today's Change ( -1.66 %) $ -0.49 Current Price Market Cap Day's Range $ 28.98 - $ 29.53 52wk Range $ 26.30 - $ 38.12 Gross Margin Dividend Yield For those seeking more income, Brookfield Renewable and its lofty 5.3% yield would be appropriate. The business owns a globally diversified portfolio of clean energy assets, including hydroelectric, solar, and wind power, as well as storage assets. But it also owns a stake in Westinghouse, one of the world's largest nuclear energy service providers. It is a less direct play on the space, since it is basically a picks-and-shovels opportunity. But it has been a reliable dividend grower over the past decade, with an average distribution increase of 5% a year, and offers a very attractive yield right now. If you are trying to live off your dividends, it could be a good fit and provide some exposure to nuclear power. You don't have to jump in with both feet. While Oklo and NuScale Power offer investors a chance to be at the leading edge of nuclear technology, they also carry significant risks. If you focus on dividend stocks, you can avoid some of those risks, but you can still lean into growth with a company like Constellation Energy. Or you can look at a growth-and-income stock like NextEra Energy, which is leaning into nuclear and AI through its planned acquisition of Dominion Energy. For those trying to maximize yield, Brookfield Renewable could be the best choice, even though nuclear is only one part of a much more diversified clean energy portfolio. Is Oklo a smart long-term play? Before you buy stock in Oklo, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now... and Oklo wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of its recommendation, you'd have $379,123!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of its recommendation, you'd have $1,408,822!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 950% - a market-crushing outperformance compared to 215% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. *Stock Advisor returns as of October 12, 2026.

Is Oklo the next trillion-dollar stock? Could Oklo be the first nuclear company to join the trillion-dollar club? Key points. * Oklo has embarked on a radical idea: Sell power from small nuclear reactors. * Small nuclear reactors could be cheaper to build than large power plants, but operating them profitably is far from guaranteed. * Oklo remains a speculative stock, and any possibility of joining the trillion-dollar club would be far in the future. * 10 stocks The Motley Fool, LLC like better than Oklo" There are only a handful of companies in the world worth more than $1 trillion, and Oklo (OKLO +0.38%) is nowhere near joining them. And yet if Oklo's ambitious plans for small nuclear reactors work out, it could become one of the most - if not the most - important energy companies in the U.S. If it's successful, could Oklo possibly become a trillion-dollar company? Premium Feature Moneyball Superscore Today's Change ( 0.38 %) $ 0.13 Current Price Key data points. Market Cap Day's Range $ 34.10 - $ 35.13 52wk Range $ 33.70 - $ 193.84 Gross Margin No, Oklo probably won't become a trillion-dollar company. I won't mince words: I doubt Oklo will ever have 12 zeros after its name. That doesn't make it a bad stock; it just means there will be a limit to its growth. That limit, I think, will be determined by how profitably Oklo can sell power. The gist of Oklo's business is this: Sell electricity generated from small nuclear reactors. More precisely, Oklo is developing sodium-cooled fast reactors that use metallic nuclear fuel and are engineered to operate for a decade or longer without refueling. It has an insanely talented executive team - including CEO Jacob DeWitte, who holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from MIT - as well as agreements with companies leading the way in developing AI infrastructure. Image source: Oklo. Small nuclear reactors, like Oklo's Aurora, have a smaller footprint and theoretically will take less time to build. They can also be mass-produced in factories, which should make them cheaper to build. Whether Oklo's Aurora reactors will actually be cheaper remains to be seen, but even if they are cheaper to build, there's another lingering question: How much will it cost Oklo to operate them? Missed Nvidia in 2009? (This rare signal is flashing again). When the Total Conviction signal flashed for Nvidia in 2009, most people ignored it. The ones who acted turned $5,000 into $3,105,454*. Now, for the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. It's a key player in the $1.8 trillion space race, and with the stock recently sitting 20% off its highs, the window to get in early is closing fast. *Returns as of October 6, 2026. A preprint, titled "The consequences of high SMR costs in electricity markets," suggests the answer might not be encouraging. This study, which hasn't undergone peer review, found that many small reactor developers would need to charge unusually high electricity prices to earn a profit. The reason? Fuel and operating costs will simply be too high. The study puts it bluntly: "SMRs are uneconomical primarily because investment cost reductions are offset by increased marginal costs." In other words, a reactor that is relatively inexpensive to build can still be very expensive to operate. So expensive, in fact, that some customers might not be willing to pay the prices needed to make Oklo profitable. Of course, high electricity prices won't scare away every customer. Indeed, some might be willing to pay a premium for the kind of around-the-clock, clean power that Oklo hopes to provide. In fact, the study even mentioned Oklo's older 15-megawatt (MW) Aurora model as one of the better-performing SMRs, suggesting its economics could be better than those of some competitors. Still, that's hardly a guarantee of profitability, at least not at the level a trillion-dollar company would need to justify its valuation. Add to that all the other uncertainties - building reactors, operating them safely, selling power to customers - and the question of a trillion dollars pales in comparison to a more pressing one: Can it actually build a successful business in the first place? For now, Oklo remains a speculative growth stock with no guarantee of success. Only aggressive investors who can stomach volatility should consider opening a small position. Should you buy stock in Oklo right now? Before you buy stock in Oklo, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now... and Oklo wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of its recommendation, you'd have $379,123!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of its recommendation, you'd have $1,408,822!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 950% - a market-crushing outperformance compared to 215% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. *Stock Advisor returns as of October 11, 2026.