Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Nucor from a "buy" to a "hold," though the analyst consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" (nine Buy vs. three Hold) with a consensus target price of $192.80.
• Nucor authorized a $4.0 billion share buyback (up to about 9.7% of shares), a signal management believes the stock may be undervalued.
• The company missed the latest quarter—EPS $1.73 vs. $1.91 estimate and revenue $7.69B vs. $7.93B—and the stock trades near $186 with a market cap of about $42.4 billion and a P/E of 24.7.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Nucor from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price 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. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Nucor in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. They set a "sector weight" rating on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $192.80.

Nucor Stock Up 1.2%

NUE stock opened at $186.19 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Nucor has a fifty-two week low of $105.92 and a fifty-two week high of $196.90. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $175.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $161.92. The stock has a market cap of $42.38 billion, a PE ratio of 24.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.73.

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

Nucor declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, February 20th that allows the company to buyback $4.00 billion in 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 an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 7,452 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 76,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,020,620.56. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,763,523.50. This trade represents a 10.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,401 shares of company stock worth $4,936,152. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nucor

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Nucor during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Nucor during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Nucor during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Nucor

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on Nucor to $225 (from $200) and reiterated a Buy rating — signaling roughly 20% upside from recent levels and likely supporting bullish investor flows. Jefferies price-target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Nucor reiterated first-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $2.70–$2.80 versus a consensus of $2.76 — essentially in line but leaving little margin for upside relative to expectations. This keeps near-term results tightly scrutinized by the market.
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/features: A Motley Fool article highlights Nucor’s investment case and long-term strengths (management, cash flow, steel market exposure). These pieces can support longer-term interest but are less likely to move the stock intraday. Fool feature
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate press release from a small Calgary energy company using the ticker NUE (NU E Power Corp.) is unrelated to Nucor but can cause ticker-search noise; investors should confirm NYSE:NUE references. NU E Power website launch
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued multiple estimate revisions: it trimmed several near-term quarterly EPS forecasts (Q1 2026, Q1 2027, Q3 2026/Q3 2027 and FY2027) while raising FY2026 and FY2028 projections and lifting Q4 2026 — an overall mixed-but-tilted-downward revision for FY2027. The net effect increases uncertainty on multi-quarter demand and near-term earnings, which could cap upside despite the price-target lift.

Nucor Company Profile

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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