Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?
by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat GemNucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE – Get Free Report)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $179.31 and last traded at $177.90, with a volume of 212328 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $174.49.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
NUE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (up from $165.00) on shares of Nucor in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Nucor in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Nucor from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Nucor from $182.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Nucor has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.27.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Nucor
Nucor Stock Up 2.4%
The company has a 50-day moving average of $161.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $148.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.77 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The company has a market capitalization of $40.90 billion, a PE ratio of 25.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.87.
Nucor (NYSE:NUE – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The basic materials company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $8.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.27 billion. Nucor had a return on equity of 7.80% and a net margin of 5.18%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. Nucor has set its Q4 2025 guidance at -2.630 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Nucor Corporation will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Nucor Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Nucor’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.46%.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Thomas J. Batterbee sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.28, for a total transaction of $330,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,952 shares in the company, valued at $2,967,106.56. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John J. Hollatz sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $1,049,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 96,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,470,914. This represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 25,995 shares of company stock valued at $3,990,634 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nucor in the third quarter worth $25,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Nucor by 51.4% during the second quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 221 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. AXS Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor in the third quarter worth about $37,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC boosted its stake in Nucor by 281.7% during the third quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC now owns 271 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Nucor during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 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.