Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.15 EPS

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The basic materials company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.15), Zacks reports. Nucor had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 6.60%.

Nucor Stock Up 0.8 %

Nucor stock traded up $0.94 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $116.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,252,533 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,061,281. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.87, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.67. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $122.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.65. Nucor has a 52-week low of $97.59 and a 52-week high of $176.60.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Nucor's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on NUE shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Nucor from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nucor from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $164.00 price target on shares of Nucor in a report on Monday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $156.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Nucor from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $156.00 to $160.00 in a report on Monday, March 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nucor currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $160.33.

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.

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