Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for Nucor Earnings

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Nucor in a report released on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $5.44 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $3.19. The consensus estimate for Nucor’s current full-year earnings is $13.64 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nucor’s Q3 2026 earnings at $4.70 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.69 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $17.06 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.79 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $5.71 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.43 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $5.15 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $21.07 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $4.66 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $20.41 EPS.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $9.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.88 billion. Nucor had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The company’s revenue was up 21.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS.

NUE has been the topic of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Nucor from $196.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. KeyCorp started coverage on Nucor in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Nucor from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. UBS Group lowered shares of Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $190.00 to $224.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Nucor in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Nucor presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.80.

Nucor Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:NUE opened at $229.77 on Wednesday. Nucor has a 1 year low of $106.21 and a 1 year high of $235.44. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $187.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.90 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The company has a market cap of $52.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.87.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Nucor’s payout ratio is presently 22.18%.

Nucor declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, February 20th that permits the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to buy up to 9.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nucor news, EVP Daniel R. Needham sold 12,888 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.00, for a total transaction of $2,912,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 89,724 shares in the company, valued at $20,277,624. This trade represents a 12.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David A. Sumoski sold 33,068 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.67, for a total value of $7,462,455.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 243,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,914,312.13. The trade was a 11.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 69,318 shares of company stock valued at $15,672,093 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Nucor

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. boosted its stake in shares of Nucor by 313.4% during the first quarter. Himension Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. now owns 12,515 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,116,000 after purchasing an additional 9,488 shares during the period. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Nucor in the first quarter worth about $3,004,000. ABN Amro Investment Solutions lifted its holdings in Nucor by 25.3% in the first quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 9,969 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,686,000 after buying an additional 2,016 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Nucor by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 66,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,171,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the 1st quarter worth approximately $385,000. 76.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.