Zacks Research Issues Negative Estimate for Nucor Earnings

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) – Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Nucor in a note issued to investors on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the basic materials company will earn $2.71 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.77. The consensus estimate for Nucor’s current full-year earnings is $7.64 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nucor’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.94 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.09 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.93 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.23 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.43 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $12.88 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $13.60 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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 report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Nucor from $190.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group raised shares of Nucor from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Nucor from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Nucor presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $192.80.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of Nucor stock opened at $186.19 on Friday. The firm 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 has a 12-month low of $105.92 and a 12-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. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $175.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $161.92.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $7.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.93 billion. Nucor had a return on equity of 8.26% and a net margin of 5.37%.Nucor’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.22 EPS.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.71%.

Nucor declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the basic materials company to repurchase up to 9.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Nucor

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 value of $1,460,741.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 76,628 shares of the company’s stock, 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 the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel R. Needham sold 3,881 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $690,818.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 88,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,717,044. The trade was a 4.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,401 shares of company stock valued at $4,936,152. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empirical Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Nucor by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Nucor by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 1,531 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Nucor by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,306 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $539,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of Nucor by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Nucor by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,330 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 76.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nucor News Roundup

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.