Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $179.3636.

Several analysts have recently commented on NUE shares. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Nucor from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Nucor from $182.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Nucor from $176.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th.

Nucor Stock Down 3.1%

Nucor stock opened at $182.97 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $172.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $154.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.94. The company has a market cap of $41.87 billion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.86. Nucor has a fifty-two week low of $97.59 and a fifty-two week high of $196.90.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.91 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $7.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.93 billion. Nucor had a return on equity of 8.26% and a net margin of 5.37%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Nucor will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

Nucor Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from Nucor’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Nucor’s payout ratio is currently 29.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 7,452 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 76,628 shares in the company, valued at $15,020,620.56. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas J. Batterbee sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 34,351 shares of company stock valued at $6,206,158 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nucor

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NUE. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in Nucor in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nucor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Nucor by 51.4% during the 2nd quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 221 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC grew its stake in Nucor by 281.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC now owns 271 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 76.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.