BMO Capital Markets Issues Positive Forecast for Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Stock Price

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Nucor to $235 and kept an "outperform" rating, implying roughly a 9.35% upside from the current price.
• Nucor topped Q1 expectations with $3.23 EPS (vs. $2.82 est.) and $9.50B in revenue, driving margin expansion and record intraday share levels.
• The board approved a $4.0 billion stock buyback (up to 9.7% of shares) even as insiders sold about 26,401 shares (~$4.94M) last quarter, highlighting strong shareholder-return actions alongside insider selling.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $196.00 to $235.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "outperform" rating on the basic materials company's stock. BMO Capital Markets' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.35% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Nucor from $198.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group lowered shares of Nucor from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $190.00 to $224.00 in a report on Tuesday. Seaport Research Partners increased their price objective on shares of Nucor from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Nucor from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Nucor from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.40.

Nucor Price Performance

NYSE:NUE opened at $214.91 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $48.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company's 50-day moving average is $178.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.36. Nucor has a 12-month low of $106.21 and a 12-month high of $217.38.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.89 billion. Nucor had a net margin of 5.37% and a return on equity of 8.26%. The company's revenue was up 21.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. Research analysts expect that Nucor will post 12.18 EPS for the current year.

Nucor declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Friday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the basic materials company to buy up to 9.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Nucor

In related news, EVP Daniel R. Needham sold 3,881 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $690,818.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 88,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,717,044. This trade represents a 4.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total transaction of $1,426,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,711 shares in the company, valued at $12,763,523.50. The trade was a 10.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,401 shares of company stock worth $4,936,152. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NUE. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Nucor by 3.7% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,271 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,060,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Nucor in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,182,000. PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Nucor in the first quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Counterweight Ventures LLC grew its position in Nucor by 10.8% in the first quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC now owns 14,666 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,480,000 after acquiring an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in Nucor by 5.4% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 182,432 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,849,000 after acquiring an additional 9,400 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Nucor News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — $3.23 diluted EPS and $9.50B in sales, topping Street estimates and showing large year-over-year improvement; company reported net earnings of $743M and EBITDA of $1.51B. Nucor Reports Results for the First Quarter of 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Operational beat driven by steel mills — WSJ notes profit growth across segments with particularly strong performance at steel mills from higher average selling prices and volumes, supporting margin expansion. Nucor Logs Profit Rises, Boosted by Steel Mills Business
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings positioning and prior guidance amplified buying — investors leaned on Nucor’s March guidance (Q1 EPS $2.70–$2.80), driving momentum into the print and pushing shares to record intraday levels. Nucor climbs as investors position for earnings and digest upbeat prior guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst expectations and price targets were adjusted ahead of the print (median targets near $190, several in the low-$200s), reflecting divided views on sustainability of current margins. Top Wall Street Forecasters Revamp Nucor Expectations Ahead Of Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Press and market write-ups highlight strong shareholder returns and elevated event-driven interest but offer limited new forward guidance beyond the company’s prior update. Nucor Posts Strong First-Quarter Results and Shareholder Returns
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling noted in recent months (multiple executives sold shares; few/no purchases), which some investors view as a cautionary signal despite the beat. Nucor climbs as investors position for earnings and digest upbeat prior guidance

Nucor Company Profile

Nucor Corporation NYSE: NUE is an American steel producer headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company is primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of steel and steel products, operating a network of steel mills, recycling facilities and fabrication plants across the United States and North America. Nucor's operations emphasize electric arc furnace steelmaking using recycled scrap metal, which supports a decentralized, mill-based production model focused on efficiency and flexibility.

Product offerings span a broad range of basic and value‑added steel items, including sheet, plate, merchant bar, structural beams, reinforcing bar, tubing, fasteners and fabricated components.

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