Why AAON (AAON) Is Becoming More Tied to Data Center Cooling as BASX Backlog Scales

AAON, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAON) is one of the fastest-growing data center cooling stocks to invest in right now. The company’s strongest recent angle came on May 7, 2026, when AAON raised its 2026 revenue growth outlook to 40%-45%, supported by a record backlog, expanded capacity, and improving production execution. The update showed that data center cooling demand is no longer just a product opportunity for AAON, but a major driver of backlog conversion and capacity utilization.

The clearest signal came from BASX, AAON’s advanced cooling and custom solutions brand. BASX-branded sales rose 72.4% year over year to $228.6 million in the first quarter, reflecting continued strength in data center cooling demand, higher production volumes, and increased use of recently commissioned capacity. AAON also said total backlog rose 107.4% year over year to $2.13 billion, with sequential backlog growth driven entirely by BASX. Within AAON Coil Products, growth was led by BASX-branded liquid cooling sales of $93.2 million, up 40.5% year over year, while improved throughput at the Longview facility helped support operating leverage.

Why AAON (AAON) Is Becoming More Tied to Data Center Cooling as BASX Backlog Scales

AAON, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAON) designs and manufactures commercial, industrial, and data center HVAC and thermal management solutions under the AAON and BASX brands.

While we acknowledge the risk and potential of AAON as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AAON and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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