Zacks Research Analysts Reduce Earnings Estimates for Nucor

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) – Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Nucor in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $4.77 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $5.47. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Nucor’s current full-year earnings is $17.08 per share.

NUE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Nucor from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. KeyCorp upgraded Nucor from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $274.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Nucor from $227.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group cut Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $224.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.92.

Nucor Trading Up 3.4%

NUE opened at $248.68 on Friday. Nucor has a twelve month low of $128.46 and a twelve month high of $270.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $234.86 and a 200-day moving average of $194.48. The stock has a market cap of $56.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $9.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter last year, the business earned $0.77 EPS.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.18%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michael D. Keller sold 4,554 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.86, for a total transaction of $1,028,566.44. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,802,127.24. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 10,096 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.08, for a total value of $2,282,503.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 62,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,213,875.68. This represents a 13.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 82,378 shares of company stock valued at $18,963,930. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NUE. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Nucor by 745.2% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 83,463 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,614,000 after purchasing an additional 73,588 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Nucor by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,103,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $342,642,000 after purchasing an additional 210,577 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter worth $1,989,000. Oak Harvest Investment Services purchased a new stake in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter worth $6,329,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Nucor by 123.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 85,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,942,000 after buying an additional 47,235 shares during the period. 76.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Nucor News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc upgraded Nucor on a more favorable steel pricing outlook, suggesting margin and earnings tailwinds may be building. Nucor upgraded at KeyBanc on steel pricing outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple earnings estimates for Nucor, including Q3 2026, Q4 2026, Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, FY2027 and FY2028, while keeping a Strong-Buy rating, reinforcing expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Separate Zacks coverage noted that Nucor’s rising earnings estimates, capacity expansions, acquisitions and higher steel prices support the stock’s growth outlook. Here’s What Makes Nucor Stock a Solid Investment Option Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary around steel and industrial materials remains supportive, with broader bullish attention on steel-related equities and ETFs, which may be helping sentiment across the sector.

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.