timothy sykes logo
SMR Stock Jumps As DOE Loan Signal Fuels Nuclear Rally Thumbnail

SMR Stock Jumps As DOE Loan Signal Fuels Nuclear Rally

ELLIS HOBBSUPDATED APR. 17, 2026, 11:32 AM ET
Reviewed by Matt Monaco Fact-checked by Bryce Tuohey

NuScale Power Corporation stocks have been trading up by 13.23 percent following upbeat sentiment on advanced small modular reactor progress.

Candlestick Chart

Live Update At 11:32:03 EDT: On Friday, April 17, 2026 NuScale Power Corporation stock [NYSE: SMR] is trending up by 13.23%! Discover the key drivers behind this movement as well as our expert analysis in the detailed breakdown below.

Quick Financial Overview

NuScale Power, trading under ticker SMR, is behaving like a classic high‑beta story stock. On 2026/04/15, SMR ripped roughly 15–16% in one day, closing near $11.80–$11.90, and then extended higher to a $12.905 close on 2026/04/17. That move followed several sessions grinding between $9.00 and $11.00, so the recent breakout stands out on the daily chart.

Financially, SMR is still deep in the development phase. NuScale Power generated about $31.5M in annual revenue, but margins are heavily negative, with EBITDA deeply in the red and profit margins more than 1,000% below zero. For traders, that screams “pre‑commercial, cash‑burn” more than “steady compounder.”

At the same time, the balance sheet is a real asset. NuScale Power shows roughly $836M in cash and more than $1.25B in cash and short‑term investments, with zero long‑term debt and strong liquidity ratios. SMR’s current ratio above 4 suggests the company has runway to fund operations and R&D. The flip side is a rich valuation: the price‑to‑sales multiple sits well over 100x, which means SMR’s chart will likely trade more on news, policy, and sentiment than on near‑term earnings.

Why Traders Are Watching SMR Momentum

Traders are crowding into SMR because the macro story finally lines up with the company’s niche. In mid‑April, the U.S. Energy Secretary told Congress that the first 5–10 new nuclear reactors will almost certainly receive Department of Energy loans. For NuScale Power, that is a direct financing tailwind. If SMR’s early projects qualify, federal loans can de‑risk capital costs and make first‑of‑a‑kind plants actually bankable.

That policy backdrop helps explain why SMR shares surged more than 15% in a single session and pushed toward $13 on 2026/04/17. The intraday tape shows a steady trend: SMR opened near $11.98, then stair‑stepped higher through the morning, with buyers defending dips around $12.30–$12.60 before pushing the stock above $13. That is the kind of clean momentum day short‑term traders hunt.

There is also a strong sector story around NuScale Power. SMR is cited as the only NRC‑approved small modular reactor design, with partnerships targeting up to 6 GW of potential deployment across TVA’s territory. NuScale is working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory on AI‑enabled reactor and fuel optimization, and advancing a major deployment effort with ENTRA1 Energy and TVA. On top of that, New England’s governors have signaled fresh interest in advanced nuclear to meet rising power demand, broadening the long‑term addressable market.

The Ebara Elliott Energy partnership adds another layer. By co‑developing and field‑testing a high‑temperature steam compressor by 2027, NuScale Power is trying to bolt its SMR modules onto petrochemical and industrial process‑heat markets, not just the power grid. For traders, each new partnership headline strengthens the “commercial traction” narrative that can keep the SMR theme hot, even before large recurring revenue shows up.

Wall Street is split but still leaning constructive. UBS cut its SMR price target to $13 from $20 and held a Neutral rating, signaling caution on execution and timelines. Yet consensus remains Overweight with an average target near $18.91, comfortably above the current $12–$13 area. This tension between skepticism and optimism is exactly what drives volatility — and opportunity — for active SMR traders.

More Breaking News

Conclusion

For active traders, NuScale Power sits at the crossroads of policy, technology, and speculation. SMR’s fundamentals today show a company burning cash, posting steep losses, and trading at a triple‑digit sales multiple. But the balance sheet is strong, with hundreds of millions in cash and no long‑term debt, and Washington is openly talking about DOE loans for the first wave of advanced reactors. That combination helps explain why one bullish headline can send SMR ripping 15% in a day.

NuScale Power’s edge is its NRC‑approved SMR design and a growing stack of partnerships — TVA, ENTRA1 Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and now Ebara Elliott Energy. The 2027 compressor field‑test target and the upcoming Q1 2026 earnings call give traders concrete dates to watch for updates. Mix in regional political support from New England and sector‑wide rerating of SMR names like Oklo and NuScale, and you have a recipe for sharp moves both ways.

The key is to treat SMR as a trading vehicle, not a blind bet on a buzzword. As millionaire penny stock trader and teacher Tim Sykes, says, “Consistency is key in trading; don’t let emotions dictate your trades.”. As Tim Sykes likes to say, “Patterns repeat, but they don’t always complete — that’s why you cut losses quickly and never fall in love with a story.” With NuScale Power, the story is strong, the momentum is real, and the risks are just as big. Trade the chart, respect the volatility, and use the news as your edge — not as a guarantee.

This is stock news, not investment advice. Timothy Sykes News delivers real-time stock market news focused on key catalysts driving short-term price movements. Our content is tailored for active traders and investors seeking to capitalize on rapid price fluctuations, particularly in volatile sectors like penny stocks. Readers come to us for detailed coverage on earnings reports, mergers, FDA approvals, new contracts, and unusual trading volumes that can trigger significant short-term price action. Some users utilize our news to explain sudden stock movements, while others rely on it for diligent research into potential investment opportunities.

Dive deeper into the world of trading with Timothy Sykes, renowned for his expertise in penny stocks. Explore his top picks and discover the strategies that have propelled him to success with these articles:

Once you’ve got some stocks on watch, elevate your trading game with StocksToTrade the ultimate platform for traders. With specialized tools for swing and day trading, StocksToTrade will guide you through the market’s twists and turns.
Dig into StocksToTrade’s watchlists here:



How much has this post helped you?


Leave a reply

Spot the Next Big Runner

Click Here for a Millionaire's POV on Trading SMR

SUBSCRIBE FOR ALERTS

JOIN 50,000+ ACTIVE TRADERS

* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called “Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors” evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled “Learning Fast or Slow?” analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called “Day Trading for a Living?” observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: “Day Trading for a Living?”

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636”

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101”