Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook for Nucor Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research turned more bullish on Nucor, raising its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $5.54 from $4.70 and maintaining a Strong-Buy rating on the stock.
• Nucor has also seen multiple Wall Street firms lift their price targets, with the current consensus rating at Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $247.50.
• The company recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $3.23 EPS on $9.50 billion in revenue, while its board has authorized a $4 billion share buyback program.

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Nucor in a research report issued on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings of $5.54 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $4.70. Zacks Research has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Nucor's current full-year earnings is $14.58 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nucor's Q4 2026 earnings at $4.59 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $18.83 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.49 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $22.41 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $5.24 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $22.23 EPS.

NUE has been the subject of several other reports. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on Nucor from $210.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Nucor from $180.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Argus increased their target price on Nucor from $200.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Nucor from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Nucor in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. They set a "sector weight" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $247.50.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NUE opened at $240.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.87. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $198.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.07. 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 1-year low of $106.21 and a 1-year high of $240.43.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.41. Nucor had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 6.82%.The firm had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Nucor during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Nucor by 49.2% during the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 191 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Nucor during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 76.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nucor

In other Nucor news, EVP Randy J. Spicer sold 2,500 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $562,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,510 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,614,750. The trade was a 10.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael D. Keller sold 4,554 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.86, for a total transaction of $1,028,566.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,802,127.24. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 71,818 shares of company stock valued at $16,234,593 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Nucor declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Friday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the basic materials company to buy up to 9.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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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