We recently published a list of 15 AI Stocks That Skyrocketed in Q4. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) stands against other stocks that skyrocketed in Q4.
AI has been dominating the news, market, and basically almost everything we come across for the last two years, since the launch of ChatGPT. In 2024, AI made significant strides, especially in agentic systems and smaller, more efficient models. In addition to that, advancements in retrieval-augmented generation (a method that combines information retrieval with text generation) improved data accuracy and reduced AI errors, while smaller models became faster and more energy-efficient, making AI more accessible.
However, the year also saw a rise in AI-driven cybercrime, with deepfakes used in scams and election interference. As these risks grew, governments and regulators began to implement measures to control AI’s development and use. However, opinions on the balance between innovation and safety remain divided.
The Next Chapter for AI in 2025
While AI continues to evolve and shows immense long-term potential, it still faces challenges such as data limitations, model reliability, and the need for revenue-generating applications. With the maturity of this technology, it will be crucial to address these obstacles in order to meet investor expectations and unlock its full potential in the coming years.
Julie Biel, chief market strategist and portfolio manager at Kayne Anderson Rudnick, discussed the current state of AI investments in a CNBC interview and noted that while significant capital has been poured into developing the technology, much of it is still at the infrastructure stage. She pointed out that AI’s efficiency improvements are beneficial, but the lack of revenue-generating use cases is preventing broader enthusiasm. Biel also raised concerns about a potential AI bubble, as she mentioned issues such as hallucinations and data limitations that could become a hurdle in short-term progress. Despite the strong long-term outlook, she suggested that investors’ patience may wear thin if immediate returns do not materialize.
In another CNBC interview, Anastasia Amoroso, iCapital chief investment officer, highlighted the continued growth of AI as a major theme in 2024, especially its expansion into AI software and power. She noted that while the last two years focused on semiconductors, this year should focus on AI software monetization and the energy demands of AI infrastructure, like data centers. Amoroso believes that AI will remain a key investment opportunity into 2025 and that the sector’s broadening scope, including AI software and its supporting power needs, presents solid prospects for growth.
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Our Methodology
For this article, we listed 15 best-performing stocks from Insider Monkey’s database of AI stocks with at least over 100% share price returns in the fourth quarter of 2024. The stocks are listed in ascending order of their share price performance. We also added the hedge fund sentiment around each stock which was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q3 database of 900 elite hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: N/A
Stock Price Performance in Q4 2024: ~162.5%
Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) is a Sam Altman-backed company that is developing advanced nuclear power plants that use nuclear waste to generate clean, reliable, and scalable energy. The company has obtained a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy, received fuel material from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted its first advanced fission license application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It is also working on advanced fuel recycling technologies in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and National Laboratories.
Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) gained significantly in Q4 along with other nuclear energy companies as Big Tech including Amazon and Alphabet announced investments in nuclear energy for data centers as power demand increases due to AI. Later on, the company stock also went up when it announced a non-binding master power agreement with Switch to develop 12 gigawatts of Aurora powerhouse projects by 2044. The agreement outlined collaboration plans, with binding deals expected as projects progress.
In December, Wedbush began coverage of Oklo with an Outperform rating and a $26 price target, highlighting its unique business model for small modular reactors. The analyst told investors that Oklo plans to deploy its first 15 MW Aurora microreactor by 2027, scalable to 50 MW and 100 MW, with over 10 years of operation before refueling. The company’s microreactor pipeline is reportedly 93% complete ahead of its planned deployment.
Overall, OKLO ranks 7th on our list of stocks that skyrocketed in Q4. While we acknowledge the potential of OKLO as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that 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 OKLO but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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