What Happened?
Shares of aerospace and defense company BWX (NYSE: BWXT) jumped 3.7% in the pre-market session after the company announced a U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program contracts valued at approximately $2.6 billion.
The contracts, which include future year options, are for the manufacturing of naval nuclear reactor components. This work will primarily support the U.S. Navy's Virginia and Columbia-class submarines, which are key elements of the nation's defense infrastructure, as well as some components for Ford-class aircraft carriers. A naval nuclear reactor is a complex system requiring large, heavy components and finely machined parts. BWXT will manufacture and assemble these critical parts over the next six to eight years across its facilities in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, and Virginia. This significant award builds upon $2.1 billion in contracts announced in February and reinforces the company's long-standing relationship of over 70 years with the U.S. Navy.
After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $142.31, up 1.7% from previous close.
Is now the time to buy BWX? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
What Is The Market Telling Us
BWX’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 6 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
BWX is up 27.7% since the beginning of the year, and at $142.31 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $144.06 from June 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of BWX’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $2,702.
Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we’ve identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefiting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link.
