Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $163.67.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NUE shares. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $156.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Nucor in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com raised Nucor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Nucor from $152.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Nucor from $154.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Nucor in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock.

Nucor Trading Down 5.3 %

NYSE NUE opened at $126.63 on Tuesday. Nucor has a 12 month low of $112.25 and a 12 month high of $203.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $128.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.28. Nucor had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 9.85%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.16 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Nucor will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.16%.

Institutional Trading of Nucor

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its stake in Nucor by 18.1% in the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $425,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Nucor by 5.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,009 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nucor by 54.3% in the third quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 3,366 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Nucor by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 218,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,981,000 after acquiring an additional 18,325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of Nucor by 3.2% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 652,502 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $98,097,000 after purchasing an additional 20,258 shares in the last quarter. 76.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nucor Company Profile

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.