Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Upgraded at Cfra

Cfra upgraded shares of Nucor (NYSE:NUE) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on NUE. Morgan Stanley set a $270.00 target price on shares of Nucor in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Nucor in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Nucor from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Nucor from $286.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Freedom Broker raised shares of Nucor from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $304.00 in a report on Friday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nucor has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $287.38.

Nucor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NUE traded down $0.93 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $244.75. 1,670,551 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,309,180. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.81. Nucor has a 52-week low of $140.93 and a 52-week high of $287.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $255.17 and a 200-day moving average of $225.65.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 26th. The basic materials company reported $5.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.84 by ($0.04). Nucor had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 9.26%. The firm had revenue of $11.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 32.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Nucor will post 19.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Allen Behr sold 11,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.90, for a total transaction of $3,232,773.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 58,022 shares in the company, valued at $15,834,203.80. This represents a 16.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Stephen D. Laxton sold 10,560 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.98, for a total transaction of $2,903,788.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,867.66. The trade was a 11.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 28,732 shares of company stock worth $7,881,287 over the last quarter. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nucor

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its stake in Nucor by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 510,331 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,297,000 after acquiring an additional 82,668 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Nucor by 31.2% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 61,952 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,800,000 after acquiring an additional 14,736 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the second quarter worth about $7,954,000. BIP Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the second quarter worth about $852,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Nucor by 1.7% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,809,899 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $306,054,000 after purchasing an additional 29,476 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Nucor News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A report on the recycled-metals market projects growth from $57.3 billion in 2025 to $99.7 billion by 2032, citing decarbonization, circular-economy policies and supply constraints. Nucor is named among key industry players, giving investors a potential long-term tailwind, though the report does not quantify the impact on Nucor. Recycled Metals Global Strategic Business Report
• Positive Sentiment: Nucor is included among three Dividend Aristocrats rated “Strong Buy” by Wall Street analysts, signaling favorable analyst sentiment. Strong Buy Dividend Aristocrat Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate market report forecasts global metal recycling growth to $856.9 billion by 2032 and lists Nucor among leading companies. The broader market outlook may be relevant to Nucor, but the article provides no company-specific forecast. Global Metal Recycling Market Report
• Negative Sentiment: Reports said Nucor shares fell sharply in Thursday trading and underperformed competitors. The coverage described the decline without identifying a specific trigger, so it may reflect selling pressure after the stock’s recent advance rather than a newly reported change in company fundamentals. Nucor Stock Underperforms Thursday
• Negative Sentiment: COO Stephen Laxton disclosed the sale of 10,560 shares on Nov. 3, reducing his direct holdings by about 11.9%. Insider sales can weigh on sentiment, though a single transaction does not establish a change in the company’s outlook. Nucor Insider Share Sale

About Nucor

Nucor Corporation is a U.S.-based steel and steel products manufacturer. Its steel mills produce sheet, plate, bar, structural steel and reinforcing bar used in construction, manufacturing, transportation and other industries.

The company also makes downstream products such as steel joists, decking, fasteners, wire products and metal building components. Its operations include recycling ferrous scrap and producing direct reduced iron, materials used in steelmaking.

Nucor traces its roots to 1905 and developed into a steel producer during the mid-20th century.