Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for Nucor Earnings

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q4 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Nucor in a research note issued on Monday, October 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $6.84 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $4.81. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Nucor's current full-year earnings is $19.62 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nucor's Q4 2027 earnings at $4.20 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $19.44 EPS.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The basic materials company reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.38. Nucor had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 12.73%. The firm had revenue of $10.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on NUE. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Nucor in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Nucor from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 18th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Nucor from $288.00 to $286.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Nucor from $224.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Nucor from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.07.

Nucor Price Performance

NUE stock opened at $253.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $254.74 and a 200-day moving average of $236.61. Nucor has a 12-month low of $131.32 and a 12-month high of $280.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $57.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.84.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nucor

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NUE. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its stake in Nucor by 2.4% during the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 1,932 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nucor by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,318 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $899,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its position in shares of Nucor by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 1,417 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Nucor by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,506 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of Nucor by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 1,396 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Nucor news, EVP Thomas Batterbee sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.02, for a total value of $1,044,080.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,212,340.76. This represents a 19.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Stephen Laxton sold 3,968 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.96, for a total transaction of $1,019,617.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,867 shares in the company, valued at $20,008,704.32. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Nucor's dividend payout ratio is 17.86%.

Nucor News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Nucor will invest $105 million to expand utility-tower and pole production in Indiana. The project will add advanced automation and approximately 100 jobs, positioning the company to benefit from rising electricity demand and grid-infrastructure spending. Nucor Expands Utility Towers Capacity With $105M Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its fiscal 2028 EPS forecast to $21.21 from $20.40, suggesting stronger longer-term earnings potential despite reductions to some quarterly estimates. Nucor analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Nucor announced a webcast for its third-quarter 2026 earnings call. Investors will focus on steel pricing, demand, margins and management’s outlook for the remainder of the year. Nucor Invites You to Join Its Third Quarter of 2026 Conference Call on the Web
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $5.61 from $5.90 and reduced its Q3 2027 estimate to $5.13 from $5.23. The revisions indicate softer expected near-term earnings, although the firm maintains a “Hold” rating. Nucor earnings estimate revisions

Nucor Company Profile

Nucor Corporation is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based steel producer and one of the largest steel companies in North America. The company operates electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mills that use recycled scrap steel as a primary raw material, along with facilities that manufacture and process steel products for construction, manufacturing, transportation, energy and other industrial markets.

Nucor's product portfolio includes carbon and alloy steel in sheet, plate, bar and structural forms, as well as reinforcing steel, wire and wire mesh.

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