Nucor (NUE) Competitors

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) and Steel Dynamics (NASDAQ:STLD) are both large-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, media sentiment, profitability, valuation and dividends.

Does the media prefer NUE or STLD?

In the previous week, Nucor had 8 more articles in the media than Steel Dynamics. MarketBeat recorded 20 mentions for Nucor and 12 mentions for Steel Dynamics. Steel Dynamics' average media sentiment score of 1.58 beat Nucor's score of 1.35 indicating that Steel Dynamics is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Nucor	14 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Steel Dynamics	10 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Do analysts prefer NUE or STLD?

Nucor currently has a consensus target price of $150.00, suggesting a potential upside of 7.14%. Steel Dynamics has a consensus target price of $148.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8.76%. Given Steel Dynamics' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Steel Dynamics is more favorable than Nucor.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nucor	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Steel Dynamics	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.73

Which has more volatility and risk, NUE or STLD?

Nucor has a beta of 1.7, suggesting that its share price is 70% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Steel Dynamics has a beta of 1.37, suggesting that its share price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in NUE or STLD?

76.5% of Nucor shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.4% of Steel Dynamics shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Nucor shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.3% of Steel Dynamics shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, NUE or STLD?

Nucor has higher revenue and earnings than Steel Dynamics. Steel Dynamics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nucor, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Nucor	$30.73B	1.05	$2.03B	$5.62	24.91
Steel Dynamics	$17.54B	1.15	$1.54B	$7.57	17.98

Is NUE or STLD more profitable?

Steel Dynamics has a net margin of 6.80% compared to Nucor's net margin of 4.40%. Steel Dynamics' return on equity of 13.26% beat Nucor's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nucor	4.40%	6.82%	4.27%
Steel Dynamics	6.80%	13.26%	7.60%

Is NUE or STLD a better dividend stock?

Nucor pays an annual dividend of $2.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Steel Dynamics pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Nucor pays out 39.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Steel Dynamics pays out 26.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Nucor has raised its dividend for 52 consecutive years and Steel Dynamics has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Nucor is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Steel Dynamics beats Nucor on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.