Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Given New $184.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) had its price target hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $176.00 to $184.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Nucor from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Nucor from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group cut shares of Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $183.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Nucor in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nucor has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.36.

Nucor Trading Down 0.2%

NUE opened at $173.17 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Nucor has a 12 month low of $97.59 and a 12 month high of $183.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.16.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.91 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $7.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.93 billion. Nucor had a net margin of 5.37% and a return on equity of 8.26%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Nucor will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Nucor’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.46%.

Insider Activity at Nucor

In other news, EVP John J. Hollatz sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $1,049,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 96,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,470,914. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Thomas J. Batterbee sold 2,000 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.28, for a total value of $330,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,967,106.56. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,950 shares of company stock worth $2,319,166. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nucor

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nucor in the third quarter valued at $25,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Nucor by 51.4% during the 2nd quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 221 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in Nucor in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC raised its holdings in Nucor by 281.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC now owns 271 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Nucor during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Nucor

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $184 and kept an “overweight” rating, implying additional upside from current levels. Wells Fargo Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: TV personality Jim Cramer said he prefers Nucor to Cleveland‑Cliffs, a public endorsement that can support investor sentiment and retail flows. Jim Cramer Says He Is “Not Going to Recommend Cleveland‑Cliffs Over Nucor”
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s Q4 earnings call emphasized heavy, strategic investing for future growth (capacity, technology and downstream capabilities), signaling confidence in longer‑term margin expansion even if near‑term results are pressured. Nucor Earnings Call: Investing Heavily for Future Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Insider/institional activity: Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants added a new stake, consistent with other recent institutional buys — small but supportive. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants Buys Nucor Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat expectations and management guided to Q1 earnings growth, which partially offsets the EPS miss and supports the view of recovering demand. Nucor’s Q4 Earnings: Revenues Beat, Volumes Lower
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlights Nucor as both a momentum and value name based on style scores — useful framing for different investor types but not new fundamental news. Zacks: Nucor a Top Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley kept a Hold rating and $180 target, reflecting a balanced view: upside from recovery but near‑term margin/volume risk. Analyst Maintains Hold on Nucor
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed (Q4 EPS $1.73 vs. ~$1.91 est.) as lower steel volumes and rising costs compressed margins; that miss is the primary reason shares have slid. Nucor Misses Q4 Estimates; Shares Fall
• Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch flagged that Nucor underperformed peers on the day, suggesting sector rotation or relative weakness that can pressure the stock until volumes and margins reaccelerate. Nucor Underperforms Competitors

Nucor Company Profile

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.