Ark Invest, led by Cathie Wood, has been building big positions in a new IPO across three ETFs. While Ark Invest is buying shares of the recent IPO SpaceX, this is another name with purchasing dating back to April 2026.
Cathie Wood Loads Up on X-Energy Shares
X-Energy Inc (NASDAQ:XE), backed by Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), went public in late April 2026 with the company raising around $1 billion with shares priced at $23, above an initial range of $16 to $19.
The stock opened for trading at $30.11 and closed at $29.20.
Not counting the recent weekend (July 11, July 12), Ark Invest has added XE stock to three ETFs in four straight trading sessions. Dating back to June 25, the stock has been added to one ETF 11 times and added to two other ETFs on six occasions.
First added to the Ark Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKK), Ark Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (BATS:ARKQ) and Ark Space & Defense Innovation ETF (BATS:ARX) ETFs back in April, those three ETFs have each increased their stakes in the nuclear company in recent trading days.
Daily emails showing the Ark ETF trading activity show two purchases by Ark Invest of the stock in May and a couple purchases in early to Mid-June. Buying activity picked up recently, dating back to June 25 for ARKK, with July 6 marking the date that all the ETFs above started buying more shares.
As of Thursday, here are the current position sizes for those three ETFs:
- ARKK: 4,091,632 shares, $61.6 million, 34th largest position, 0.95% of ETF
- ARKQ: 1,311,793 shares, $19.8 million, 34th largest position, 0.98% of ETF
- ARKX: 608,926 shares, $9.2 million, 29th largest position, 1.10% of ETF
Additional purchases of the stock in the coming days could see the newly public stock climb up the holdings list and asset size across the three funds.
Wood Bets On Nuclear Energy
X-Energy is the latest bet on nuclear energy by Wood and Ark Invest. The team currently holds positions in several stocks that fit the category, including Oklo Inc (NYSE:OKLO) and BWX Technologies (NASDAQ:BWXT)
The nuclear sector has gotten plenty of attention in 2026 thanks to the Trump administration, growing demand for AI data centers, and the potential power sources that will fuel the increased energy needs.
Over the years, Ark Invest has invested in what it calls disruptive technology. This may include nuclear energy, and X-Energy could be Ark’s latest investment to get ahead of the growing trend.
The latest purchases of X-Energy stock come with shares selling off in their post-IPO period.
Shares trade at $13.52 on Thursday, hitting new lows of $13.29 during the intraday session. Shares have traded as high as $37.10 since going public and are now down 53% from their initial listing.
Image: Shutterstock/ Spyro the Dragon
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