Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nucor in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Nucor from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Nucor from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners boosted their price target on Nucor from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $188.90.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NUE stock opened at $163.48 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $37.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.83. The business’s fifty day moving average is $175.87 and its 200 day moving average is $159.50. Nucor has a twelve month low of $97.59 and a twelve month high of $196.90. 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 (NYSE:NUE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $7.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. Nucor’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Nucor will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to purchase up to 9.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 67,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,763,523.50. This trade represents a 10.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 7,452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 76,628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,020,620.56. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,401 shares of company stock valued at $4,936,152. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nucor

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,528,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Nucor by 15,814.3% in the third quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 3,342 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in Nucor in the third quarter worth approximately $1,085,000. Peterson Wealth Services grew its position in Nucor by 587,032.0% in the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 146,783 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $19,879,000 after purchasing an additional 146,758 shares during the period. Finally, Covea Finance grew its position in Nucor by 75.4% in the 3rd quarter. Covea Finance now owns 94,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $12,758,000 after purchasing an additional 40,500 shares during the period. 76.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Nucor News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company issued stronger Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $2.70–$2.80 and management noted improving mill backlog and limited direct energy exposure, which analysts say helps insulate results from geopolitical risk. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded NUE to Buy (price target $190, up from $184), calling the recent pullback an “excessive correction” and a buying opportunity—this provides a high‑profile bullish catalyst and implies ~16% upside to the new PT. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research reiterated a Buy and maintained a $185 target following Nucor’s Q1 pre‑announcement, flagging improving profitability expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp initiated coverage on Nucor (coverage initiation can add visibility but impact depends on the assigned rating and model assumptions). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks industry outlook highlighted Nucor among steel peers—notes mixed demand headwinds but supportive factors like rising steel prices and non‑residential construction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results fell short of consensus (Q4 EPS $1.73 vs. $1.91 est.; revenue $7.69B vs. $7.93B est.), creating short‑term headwinds. Combined with macro/geopolitical driven risk aversion (Middle East conflict), this helps explain intraday weakness despite the bullish analyst moves.

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.