▌Top Stocks · DATA CENTER BUILDERS·Updated July 11, 2026
Data Center Builders Stocks to Own in 2026: 7 Names
These seven stocks offer different ways to invest in the AI-driven data-center construction boom, from MEP specialists to site-development and concrete contractors.
Top Stocks · DATA CENTER BUILDERSUpdated July 11, 2026
Data center builders sit near the center of one of the market’s most durable infrastructure themes. Every new AI training cluster, cloud campus, and enterprise compute expansion needs power systems, cooling, electrical distribution, site preparation, and contractors that can deliver on tight schedules. That makes this group more than a secondary AI trade: it is a direct way to invest in the physical buildout behind rising compute demand, especially as hyperscalers and colocation operators keep expanding capacity.
The opportunity is spread across several layers of the construction stack. Electrical and mechanical specialists are often the most direct beneficiaries because they handle mission-critical systems inside the facility, while civil, concrete, and site-development firms capture earlier-phase spending. Investors also need to understand the bottlenecks shaping this market, including power availability, permitting, and skilled labor shortages, because those constraints can support backlog growth, pricing discipline, and multi-year visibility for contractors with proven data-center execution.
This list focuses on companies with real operating exposure to the theme, whether through named data-center activity, electrical and mechanical capabilities, or e-infrastructure and concrete work tied to these projects. The picks are ranked in countdown order from No. 7 to No. 1 based on investment quality, balancing business relevance, profitability, growth, earnings execution, and our composite quality grade.
For this screen, we focused on U.S.-listed construction and engineering companies with market capitalizations above $500 million and credible links to data-center development. We then ranked the finalists primarily on investment quality, using a mix of profitability, growth, valuation context, earnings consistency, analyst sentiment, and our composite quality metrics. Because this is a countdown, the list starts with the lower-ranked qualifying names and ends with the strongest overall pick at No. 1.
What they do. The company provides infrastructure services across utilities and energy markets in the U.S. and Canada. Its Utilities segment handles installation and maintenance of electric utility distribution and transmission systems and communications systems, while its Energy segment provides engineering, procurement, construction, and maintenance services across energy, renewables, storage, fuels, and transportation-related work.
Why it fits. Primoris is not the most direct pure-play on data-center construction in this group, but it does have relevant exposure through communications systems, electric infrastructure, and large-scale construction capabilities. In a market where power delivery and utility interconnection are major constraints on new data-center capacity, that utility-side positioning gives it a credible place in the broader buildout.
Numbers that matter. Primoris generated $7.49 billion in revenue with EBITDA of $465.9 million and a net margin of 3.31%. Profitability is respectable but not standout, with ROE of 15.85%, ROA of 5.51%, a gross margin of 10.4%, and an operating margin of 1.85%. Growth has also softened recently, with revenue down 5.4% year over year and earnings down 60.5%, although EPS is projected to rise from $4.53 on a trailing basis to $5.399 next year. Valuation is mixed, with a trailing P/E of 19.117 but a forward P/E of 42.735 in the core data.
Recent momentum. The company has still beaten earnings expectations in six of the last seven reported quarters, including beats of 55.6% in August 2025 and 39.3% in November 2025. The latest report was a clear stumble, though, with May 2026 EPS of $0.32 versus a $0.74 estimate, a 56.8% miss. Analyst sentiment remains constructive but not emphatic, with three Buy ratings and one Hold alongside an average target of $129.93.
What they do. The company provides electrical construction services through Transmission and Distribution and Commercial and Industrial segments. That spans utility networks, substations, high-voltage lines, underground and overhead distribution, and commercial wiring and installation work for facilities including airports, hospitals, manufacturing plants, and data centers.
Why it fits. MYR Group is one of the cleaner fits for this theme because its Commercial and Industrial segment explicitly serves data centers, while its utility and substation capabilities also align with the power-intensive nature of AI campuses. In practice, that means MYR can benefit both from the electrical build inside the facility and from the upstream grid work needed to energize new capacity.
Numbers that matter. MYR produced $3.82 billion in revenue and $261.3 million in EBITDA, with a net margin of 3.71%. Returns are solid, with ROE of 22.68% and ROA of 7.56%, while margins include 12.1% gross margin and 6.38% operating margin. Growth is a major positive: revenue rose 20.0% year over year and earnings surged 106.2%, with EPS expected to increase from $9.31 on a trailing basis to $13.18 next year. The tradeoff is valuation, with a trailing P/E of 46.2846 and forward P/E of 35.3357.
Recent momentum. Few names on this list have cleaner earnings execution: MYR has beaten estimates in seven straight quarters. The most recent two reports were especially strong, with April 2026 EPS of $2.99 versus a $2.05 estimate, a 45.9% beat, and February 2026 EPS of $2.33 versus $1.86, a 25.3% beat. Analyst coverage is limited in the supplied data, but the consensus score is 4.6 with an average target of $455 and one recorded Hold rating.
What they do. Dycom is a specialty contractor focused on digital infrastructure, telecommunications infrastructure, and utilities. Its services include engineering, fiber and cable placement, wireless network construction, equipment pad and foundation work, underground facility locating, and a range of installation and maintenance services tied to communications networks.
Why it fits. Dycom is a more indirect data-center builder than the electrical and mechanical specialists higher on this list, but digital infrastructure still matters to the same AI buildout. The company’s work in communications networks, fiber deployment, and site-related construction supports the connectivity layer that large data-center campuses and cloud regions depend on.
Numbers that matter. The company generated $6.25 billion in revenue and $825.1 million in EBITDA, with a 4.98% net margin. Profitability is healthy for a contractor, with ROE of 19.7%, ROA of 6.76%, a 20.5% gross margin, and a 7.32% operating margin. Growth has been excellent, with revenue up 56.1% year over year and earnings up 43.5%, while next-year EPS is estimated at 13.6116 versus trailing EPS of 10.47. Valuation is the main constraint, as the core data shows a trailing P/E of 40.8032 and a forward P/E of 31.1526.
Recent momentum. Dycom has beaten earnings estimates in seven consecutive quarters, and the latest result was a standout. In May 2026, it posted EPS of $4.42 against a $2.72 estimate, a 62.5% surprise, following a 14.0% beat in March 2026. Analyst sentiment is very strong in the supplied data, with a 4.8889 consensus score and an average target of $637.27.
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What they do. Comfort Systems provides mechanical and electrical installation, renovation, maintenance, repair, and replacement services across the U.S. Its capabilities cover HVAC, plumbing, electrical, piping, controls, off-site construction, fire protection, and full mechanical, electrical, and plumbing integration for new and existing buildings.
Why it fits. This is one of the most direct public-market ways to invest in data-center construction because mission-critical facilities require exactly the MEP systems Comfort Systems specializes in. The company’s mechanical and electrical scope maps directly to cooling, airflow, power usage monitoring, electrical distribution, and system start-up, all of which are central to AI-ready data-center builds.
Numbers that matter. Comfort Systems combines scale and profitability unusually well, with $10.14 billion in revenue, $1.736 billion in EBITDA, and a 12.07% net margin. Returns are exceptional, including ROE of 53.29% and ROA of 17.27%, while margins include 25.1% gross margin and 7.89% operating margin. Revenue growth was only 1.0% year over year, but earnings still climbed 38.8%, and EPS is projected to rise from $36.7 on a trailing basis to $53.4434 next year. The main debate is valuation, with a trailing P/E of 48.5401 and forward P/E of 38.61.
Recent momentum. Execution has been outstanding, with seven straight earnings beats. The latest two reports were especially strong: April 2026 EPS of $10.51 versus a $6.81 estimate was a 54.3% beat, and February 2026 EPS of $9.37 versus $6.73 was a 39.2% beat. Analysts remain positive, with a 4.7143 consensus score, one recorded Hold rating, and an average target of $2048.17.
What they do. EMCOR provides electrical and mechanical construction plus facilities, building, and industrial services in the U.S. and U.K. Its offerings span power transmission and distribution systems, low-voltage and voice/data systems, HVAC and refrigeration, plumbing and piping, fire protection, filtration, central plant heating and cooling, and a wide range of maintenance and retrofit services.
Why it fits. EMCOR is a strong fit for the data-center builder theme because it covers both the electrical and mechanical sides of complex facilities. That matters in data centers, where uptime, cooling, power distribution, controls, and fast-track execution are all mission-critical, and the company’s voice and data communications and central plant capabilities add to the relevance.
Numbers that matter. EMCOR generated $17.75 billion in revenue and $1.851 billion in EBITDA, with a 7.54% net margin. Profitability is robust, with ROE of 39.23%, ROA of 11.75%, a 19.3% gross margin, and an 8.73% operating margin. Growth remains strong as well, with revenue up 19.7% year over year and earnings up 30.0%, while EPS is expected to move from $30.32 on a trailing basis to $32.668 next year. Valuation looks more balanced than some peers, with a trailing P/E of 25.8381 and a forward P/E of 26.0417.
Recent momentum. EMCOR has beaten earnings estimates in seven straight quarters, though the magnitude has been steadier than some of the higher-volatility names on this list. In April 2026, it reported EPS of $6.84 versus a $5.90 estimate, a 15.9% beat, after a 7.6% beat in February 2026. Analyst sentiment is favorable overall, with a 4.1667 consensus score and an average target of $1000.14, though the breakdown includes one Hold and one Sell.
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This monthly screen starts with U.S.-listed construction and engineering companies valued above $500 million, then narrows the field to businesses with meaningful data-center relevance through electrical, mechanical, utility, civil, concrete, communications, or e-infrastructure work. We rank the final list by investment quality rather than by size or recent stock performance, emphasizing profitability, growth, earnings consistency, analyst sentiment, valuation context, and our composite quality grade. Because company fundamentals and estimates change over time, the list is designed to refresh regularly, and the order can shift as new quarterly results come in.
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