Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Nucor holds an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" from 12 firms with a 12‑month consensus target of $240 and several recent price‑target increases (Goldman Sachs raised its target to $260).
• Nucor reported a strong quarter—EPS $3.23 vs. $2.82 expected and revenue $9.50B (up 21.3% YoY)—and analysts now expect about 13.64 EPS for the current year.
• The board authorized a $4.0 billion share buyback (up to ~9.7% of shares) and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.56 (≈1.0% yield), underscoring a focus on capital returns.

Shares of Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $240.00.

NUE has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Nucor from $196.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Nucor from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Nucor in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Nucor from $240.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lowered Nucor from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $190.00 to $224.00 in a research note on Tuesday.

Nucor Price Performance

NYSE:NUE opened at $225.93 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $180.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.01. The firm has a market cap of $51.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.90. Nucor has a one year low of $106.21 and a one year high of $227.96.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $9.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.88 billion. Nucor had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 6.82%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. Research analysts expect that Nucor will post 13.64 EPS for the current year.

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

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Nucor's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nucor

In related news, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total value of $1,426,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 67,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,763,523.50. The trade was a 10.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 7,452 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.02, for a total transaction of $1,460,741.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 22,520 shares of company stock valued at $4,245,334. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nucor

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NUE. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter worth approximately $609,002,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nucor by 580.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 653,845 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $84,699,000 after buying an additional 557,819 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Nucor by 20.1% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,042,761 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $412,081,000 after buying an additional 509,019 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Nucor by 169.0% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 779,940 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $127,216,000 after buying an additional 489,950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Nucor by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,780,423 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $290,405,000 after acquiring an additional 383,952 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Nucor

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Nucor to $260 from $240, implying roughly a mid‑teens upside vs the current share level — a clear analyst vote of confidence that supports upward price momentum. Goldman Sachs Adjusts Price Target on Nucor to $260 From $240
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Nucor’s “blockbuster” earnings (triple‑digit EPS gains, double‑digit revenue growth) reinforces the narrative of stronger fundamentals and justifies higher valuation multiples. Investors may be re‑rating shares on the earnings beat and upward guidance/forecasts. Is Nucor a Buy After Its Blockbuster Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer singled out Nucor as a “data center stock,” a high‑visibility endorsement that can attract retail and momentum flows by linking Nucor to secular demand drivers (infrastructure, data‑center builds). Nucor (NUE) is a Data Center Stock, Says Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst activity is rising — Nucor shows up on trending lists (TipRanks) indicating increased attention from the sell‑side and modelers; this raises liquidity/coverage but is not a direct buy/sell signal. Campbell, DoorDash, Oklo, Nucor, Telus Trending With Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: General market pages (CNN) and other outlets continue to list Nucor in stock trackers — useful for visibility but not a direct catalyst. Nucor Corporation
• Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch noted Nucor underperformed peers on a recent session, a reminder that relative performance and sector rotation could cap near‑term gains even as fundamentals improve. Nucor Corp. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors

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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