Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is constructive: Nucor has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from 16 analysts, with most covering firms rating it a buy or strong buy. The average 1-year price target is $263.75.
• Recent earnings guidance and results look strong: Nucor guided Q2 earnings to $4.50-$4.60 per share, above expectations, after reporting Q1 EPS of $3.23 versus the $2.82 consensus. Revenue also beat estimates at $9.50 billion, up 21.3% year over year.
• The company is benefiting from favorable industry conditions: Analysts and recent commentary point to higher steel prices, healthy demand, and support from construction and auto demand as tailwinds for margins and earnings. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share.

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $263.75.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on NUE shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Nucor from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Nucor from $260.00 to $284.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Nucor in a research report on Monday, May 25th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Argus raised their target price on shares of Nucor from $200.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Nucor from $265.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th.

More Nucor News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Nucor’s Q2 guidance of $4.50 to $4.60 per share came in above expectations, signaling stronger near-term earnings power. Nucor Announces Guidance for the Second Quarter of 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary suggests Nucor is benefiting from higher steel prices and healthy demand, which could support margins in the current quarter. Nucor Projects Earnings to Increase in Q2 on Higher Prices
• Positive Sentiment: Industry outlook pieces continue to favor steel producers like Nucor as construction strength and recovering auto demand support the sector. Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Nucor, Ternium, Gerdau and L.B. Foster
• Neutral Sentiment: A long-term performance article highlighted how a $1,000 investment in Nucor would have grown over 10 years, underscoring the stock’s historical compounding rather than a new catalyst. Here's How Much a $1000 Investment in Nucor Made 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent trading also showed some day-to-day weakness versus the broader market, but that move appears secondary to the company’s positive earnings outlook. Nucor (NUE) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors

Insider Buying and Selling at Nucor

In other Nucor news, EVP Daniel R. Needham sold 12,888 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.00, for a total transaction of $2,912,688.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 89,724 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,277,624. This trade represents a 12.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 10,096 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.08, for a total transaction of $2,282,503.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 62,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,213,875.68. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 82,378 shares of company stock worth $18,963,930. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Nucor by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,407,540 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,633,554,000 after buying an additional 144,038 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Nucor by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,853,205 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $628,497,000 after purchasing an additional 41,728 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Nucor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $609,002,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in Nucor by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,042,761 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $412,081,000 after purchasing an additional 509,019 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Nucor by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,539,044 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $429,298,000 after purchasing an additional 22,718 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Nucor Price Performance

Nucor stock opened at $244.26 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $230.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Nucor has a 12-month low of $122.82 and a 12-month high of $270.90.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.41. Nucor had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The company had revenue of $9.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Nucor will post 15.68 EPS for the current year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Nucor's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.18%.

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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