Why Is Oklo Stock Soaring Today?

Key Points

• Oklo was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for a pilot program.

• It was previously selected for a similar program.

• 10 stocks we like better than Oklo ›

Shares of Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) are jumping on Thursday, up 11.3% as of 1:14 p.m. ET. The spike comes as the S&P 500 lost 0.1% and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.2%.

The advanced nuclear reactor developer's stock is continuing to gain after yesterday morning's announcement that Oklo has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a pilot program.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks »

The DOE picks Oklo again

The company, along with three others, will join the DOE's Advanced Nuclear Fuel Line Pilot Project, which Oklo says is similar to the Reactor Pilot Program, another DOE initiative it has already been selected for. The new program will see the company "build and operate three fuel-fabrication facilities to support the deployment of advanced reactors." Oklo's inclusion in the new program is yet another sign that its technology is market-leading.

Image source: Getty Images.

The opportunity for Oklo is huge. Nuclear energy is having a renaissance of sorts, and with its compact fast reactor design, the company could be particularly well positioned to benefit from streamlined licensing.

However, it has yet to generate meaningful revenue and trades on promise rather than performance; its valuation makes me pause. The technology for modular nuclear reactors still needs to be perfected, and there's no guarantee that successive administrations will be as pro-nuclear as the current one. But if you have a higher risk tolerance, Oklo is a solid pick.

Should you invest $1,000 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 our recommendation, you’d have $631,456!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,147,755!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,063% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of September 29, 2025

Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.