Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Issues Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Q1 2026 EPS guidance of 2.700–2.800 was issued (consensus 2.760), while the company did not provide revenue guidance.
• The board authorized a $4.0 billion share repurchase (up to 9.7% of shares) and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.56 ($2.24 annualized, ~1.2% yield).
• Analysts are broadly positive—nine Buys vs three Holds—with a consensus price target of $190.30 and recent upgrades (Goldman Sachs initiated coverage at $210); shares traded around $183.60, up 0.8%.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.700-2.800 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.760. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on NUE. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nucor from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Nucor in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group raised shares of Nucor from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $184.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Nucor from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Nucor in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $210.00 target price for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Nucor currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $190.30.

Nucor Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Nucor stock traded up $1.44 during trading on Thursday, hitting $183.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 605,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,677,612. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.94. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.41. The company has a market capitalization of $41.79 billion, a PE ratio of 24.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.73. Nucor has a 52 week low of $105.92 and a 52 week high of $196.90.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.91 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $7.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.93 billion. Nucor had a return on equity of 8.26% and a net margin of 5.37%.The firm's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Nucor will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Nucor's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.71%.

Nucor announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to purchase up to 9.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nucor

In other Nucor news, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 67,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,763,523.50. This trade represents a 10.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 7,452 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 76,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,020,620.56. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,401 shares of company stock worth $4,936,152. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nucor

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NUE. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Nucor by 580.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 653,845 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $84,699,000 after acquiring an additional 557,819 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of Nucor by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,062,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $173,265,000 after acquiring an additional 241,500 shares during the period. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Nucor in the third quarter worth approximately $30,634,000. Man Group plc grew its stake in shares of Nucor by 75.2% in the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 524,956 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $68,003,000 after acquiring an additional 225,390 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Nucor in the second quarter worth approximately $28,802,000. 76.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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