Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Purchases 5,669 Shares of Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE)

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) by 4.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 131,614 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,669 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. owned about 0.06% of Nucor worth $15,838,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Nucor during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Nucor by 73.5% during the 1st quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in Nucor in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Nucor during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. 76.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NUE stock traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $138.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,029,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,242,454. Nucor Corporation has a 1-year low of $97.59 and a 1-year high of $170.52. The company has a market cap of $31.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.65, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.52. The firm's 50-day moving average is $120.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.54.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.15). Nucor had a net margin of 4.40% and a return on equity of 6.82%. The business had revenue of $7.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.46 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Nucor Corporation will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Nucor's dividend payout ratio is 39.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.37, for a total value of $1,303,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 94,080 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,265,209.60. This represents a 9.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Leon J. Topalian sold 34,238 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total transaction of $4,115,065.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 162,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,590,128.67. The trade was a 17.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 51,326 shares of company stock worth $6,325,108. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NUE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Nucor from $156.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised Nucor from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Nucor from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Nucor from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Nucor from $134.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.00.

About Nucor

Nucor Corporation engages in manufacture and sale of steel and steel products. It operates in three segments: steel mills, steel products, and raw materials. The Steel Mills segment produces hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized sheet steel products; plate steel products; wide-flange beams, beam blanks, and H-piling and sheet piling structural steel products; bar steel products, such as blooms, billets, concrete reinforcing and merchant bars, and engineered special bar quality products; and engages in the steel trading and rebar distribution businesses.