Why These 3 Uranium ETFs Could Be 2026's Most Overlooked Winners

With favorable regulations encouraging a boom in domestic nuclear power, several prominent uranium miners have experienced skyrocketing shares in the last year. Canadian outfit Cameco Corp. (NYSE: CCJ), among the largest producers of uranium in the world, has risen by 161% in the last year, for instance.

In 2026, though, the uranium industry must reckon with significant demand that has outpaced production levels. Indeed, uranium production in the United States is vastly larger than consumption. This development could introduce a major opportunity for investors, as the supply squeeze is likely to continue to send the price of uranium higher even as producers are working as quickly as possible to increase output. In other words, investors in uranium stocks could benefit both from the business gains these companies experience directly as well as from the overall boost provided by higher uranium prices.

The exchange-traded funds (ETFs) below could emerge as hidden powerhouses, capitalizing on these gains while also effectively distributing risk thanks to diversified portfolios.

Unique Focus on Smaller Uranium Companies Poised For Growth

The Sprott Junior Uranium Miners ETF (NASDAQ: URNJ) is up an impressive 89% over the last year and is one of the only ways for investors to build broad exposure to small uranium miners (those with market capitalizations in the mid-cap range or lower). Smaller uranium producers may be uniquely positioned to capitalize on easing regulations that can make expansion more attainable.

URNJ can be a great way to gain access to lesser-known uranium firms, such as Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: UUUU), a $6-billion U.S. uranium producer with operations in Wyoming and Texas. The universe of smaller uranium firms is small, however, and URNJ is not the best diversified ETF in the uranium space. Still, its 35 holdings are fairly evenly weighted, save for a handful of outliers like UUUU above, which gets a portfolio allocation of more than 14%.

Those bullish on the uranium space might appreciate URNJ's focus on uranium companies with strong growth potential. The fund also manages to pay an attractive dividend yield of 2.25% as an added bonus. With all that in mind, the ETF's expense ratio of 0.80%, though higher than many others, may seem very reasonable.

Combining Uranium Miners and Physical Holdings

The cousin of URNJ, the Sprott Uranium Miners ETF (NYSEARCA: URNM) has about five times the managed assets and a one-month average trading volume about twice as robust. Interestingly, it also has a narrower portfolio of just 27 names, including heavy investments in both Cameco (about 20% of assets) and Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN: UEC) (14%).

A decent amount of overlap between the portfolios of these two Sprott funds may force investors to choose one or the other for their uranium investment. One unique benefit of URNM is that it also holds a position in physical uranium, providing direct exposure to the commodity itself. At 11.6% of the portfolio, physical uranium remains a fairly minor holding, but it may appeal to investors wanting to adhere closely to the price of the metal directly.

URNM has slightly outperformed URNJ over the last year, rising by more than 93% while charging a modestly lower fee of 0.75%. URNM also pays a dividend but has a slightly lower yield of 1.69%, which may also sway investors seeking a stronger passive income play elsewhere.

Strong Portfolio, Performance, and Fees

By far the largest of these funds by managed assets and trading volume, the Global X Uranium ETF (NYSEARCA: URA) is one of the oldest and best-established uranium ETFs. It also sports the best performance of these three ETFs, having risen by 110% in the last year, and the highest dividend yield at 3.65%.

URA's 49 holdings provide an excellent cross-section of the uranium industry across market caps and developed markets. Some of its holdings are major electronics and automotive companies that are not often thought of as nuclear energy firms, despite playing a role in manufacturing nuclear components or something similar. URA is also fairly well diversified, although Cameco shares represent almost a quarter of its portfolio alone.

For a single uranium investment that provides broad exposure, a history of strong performance, and value (URA's expense ratio is lower than the funds' above at 0.69%), URA is difficult to beat.

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The article "Why These 3 Uranium ETFs Could Be 2026’s Most Overlooked Winners" first appeared on MarketBeat.