Sciencast Management LP Purchases Shares of 14,922 Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE)

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,922 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,742,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NUE. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Nucor by 60.3% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Nucor by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 417 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Nucor during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. 76.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nucor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NUE opened at $122.02 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $130.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.80. Nucor Co. has a 52-week low of $112.25 and a 52-week high of $203.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.58.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.28. Nucor had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 6.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Nucor Co. will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NUE shares. StockNews.com raised Nucor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $156.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Nucor in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Nucor from $150.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Argus set a $155.00 price target on shares of Nucor in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Nucor from $240.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

About Nucor

Nucor Corporation engages in manufacture and sale of steel and steel products. It operates in three segments: steel mills, steel products, and raw materials. The Steel Mills segment produces hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized sheet steel products; plate steel products; wide-flange beams, beam blanks, and H-piling and sheet piling structural steel products; bar steel products, such as blooms, billets, concrete reinforcing and merchant bars, and engineered special bar quality products; and engages in the steel trading and rebar distribution businesses.