Curtiss-Wright, Tecnoglass, AAON, Primoris, and Albany shares advanced in the morning session as capital spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and defense modernization drove demand across power systems and data center construction. The gains occurred while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reached fresh all-time highs.
According to AP News, intensified capital allocations for AI facilities have heightened demand within the industrials sector. Massive computing clusters require extensive power upgrades and physical installations, accelerating project orders for companies providing electrical grid equipment, backup generation, and specialized data center construction. Power supply constraints have become a focal challenge for tech infrastructure development, positioning industrial suppliers as critical enablers of technology adoption.
Sustained government and corporate budgets for defense modernization provide an additional revenue pillar. Analysts observe that these two infrastructure trends have helped shield power systems and industrial equipment providers from broader macroeconomic cycles. This dynamic reinforces market momentum as investors expect continued multi-year order backlogs in the sector.
Primoris (NYSE:PRIM) led the group with an 8.2% jump. The construction and maintenance services company operates on multi-year contracted backlogs, converting them to revenue as projects ship. Lower oil prices reduce fuel costs for heavy equipment and transportation, while lower Treasury yields reduce financing costs for customers such as utilities and data center operators. The AI infrastructure buildout adds a further tailwind, as companies in this sector are heavily exposed to the electrical grid expansion required by AI data centers.
Primoris shares are volatile, having recorded 35 moves greater than 5% over the last year. Today's move indicates the market considers the news meaningful but not a fundamental change in the business perception. The stock is down 34.3% since the beginning of the year and trades at $85.84 per share, which is 57.7% below its 52-week high of $202.92 from May 2026. Despite the year-to-date decline, investors who purchased $1,000 worth of Primoris shares five years ago would now hold an investment valued at $3,451.
Other notable movers included Tecnoglass (NYSE:TGLS), which jumped 3.7%, and AAON (NASDAQ:AAON), which rose 2.6%. Curtiss-Wright (NYSE:CW) and Albany (NYSE:AIN) both increased by 2.2%.