The Constellation Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: CEG) stock price went parabolic on Friday, reaching its highest point on record after inking a deal with Microsoft, the second-biggest company in the world. CEG shares surged to a high of $254, bringing the year-to-date gains to 120%, making it one of the best-performing companies in Wall Street.
Sophie Karp, Keybanc, joins 'Fast Money' to talk what Constellation's plan for reopening the nuclear plant at Three Mile Island could mean for the entire energy sector.
Constellation Energy Group plans to reopen Three Mile Island Unit 1. The electric utility will use the nuclear power plant to generate electricity for Microsoft server farms.
Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) reachead $200.33 at the closing of the latest trading day, reflecting a -0.45% change compared to its last close.
In the most recent trading session, Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) closed at $189.93, indicating a +1.43% shift from the previous trading day.
Constellation Energy has strong nuclear capacity and IPP status, benefiting from rising electricity demand driven by AI and climate change. CEG's 10% earnings growth guidance is conservative, with potential upside from higher electricity prices and data center PPAs. I rate CEG a Hold due to moderate growth and topped valuation, preferring VST and TLN for better potential.
Constellation Energy's explosive growth is driven by a perfect storm of reduced supply, surging demand, and regulatory bottlenecks, leading to high grid auction prices. A significant portion of CEG's earnings growth is due to one-time factors, making the current 24X forward multiple appear overvalued. Future grid auction prices are expected to normalize, reducing CEG's projected 2026 earnings from $9.47 to a stabilized $8.22 per share.
New nuclear plant designs, called small modular reactors, could speed deployment of carbon-free power in the future as electricity demand rises. These small reactors would have simpler designs, making them easier and cheaper to build than current plants.
Constellation Energy's stock has pulled back despite positive fundamentals, including earnings estimate increases since February of 35% for 2023 and 55% for 2030. The PJM capacity market's skyrocketing prices significantly benefit Constellation, boosting EPS forecasts by $0.25 in 2025 and $1.25 in 2026. With some analysts expecting capacity prices to double again in the next auction, there is even more upside potential for earnings.
From a technical perspective, Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) is looking like an interesting pick, as it just reached a key level of support. CEG recently overtook the 50-day moving average, and this suggests a short-term bullish trend.
CEG is an ideal stock to have in your portfolio, given its rising earnings estimates and higher returns.
With cooling inflation and moderating economic growth, the current economic environment strongly suggests that the Federal Reserve is on the verge of cutting interest rates. Market analysts are currently pricing an 80% chance of a rate cut.