Vanguard Group Inc. Grows Holdings in Nucor Corporation $NUE

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Nucor by 0.5% in Q4 to 28,407,540 shares, representing about 12.41% of the company and valued at roughly $4.63 billion.
• Nucor beat Q1 expectations — $3.23 EPS vs $2.82 est. and $9.50B revenue (up 21.3% YoY) — and the board authorized a $4.0B buyback (up to 9.7% of shares) while declaring a $0.56 quarterly dividend.
• Recent insider selling totaled 26,401 shares (~$4.94M) and analysts collectively rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $201.50, reflecting mixed views on margin sustainability.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,407,540 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 144,038 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.41% of Nucor worth $4,633,554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in Nucor in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in Nucor in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC increased its stake in Nucor by 281.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC now owns 271 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in Nucor in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Nucor by 81.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 340 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company's stock.

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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $106.21 and a 12-month high of $217.38.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.41. The company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 21.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. Research analysts expect that Nucor Corporation will post 12.18 EPS for the current year.

Nucor announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, February 20th that permits the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to reacquire up to 9.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Nucor's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.71%.

Insider Transactions at Nucor

In other news, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 67,711 shares in the company, valued at $12,763,523.50. This represents a 10.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 7,452 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.02, for a total transaction of $1,460,741.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 76,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,020,620.56. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 26,401 shares of company stock worth $4,936,152 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.62% 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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on NUE. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Nucor in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. They issued a "sector weight" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Nucor from $190.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Nucor from $197.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group cut shares of Nucor from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $224.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Nucor from $198.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $201.50.

About Nucor

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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