Wall Street Zen Upgrades Nucor (NYSE:NUE) to “Strong-Buy”

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on NUE. Barclays boosted their price target on Nucor from $295.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Nucor from $308.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Nucor in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Freedom Broker cut Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $305.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Nucor from $224.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.86.

Nucor Stock Performance

Shares of NUE stock opened at $264.40 on Tuesday. Nucor has a 12 month low of $135.59 and a 12 month high of $280.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.84. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $253.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.45.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The basic materials company reported $4.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.46 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $10.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.15 billion. Nucor had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 12.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.60 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Nucor will post 19.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nucor

In other news, EVP Thomas Batterbee sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.02, for a total transaction of $1,044,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,212,340.76. The trade was a 19.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Stephen Laxton sold 3,968 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.96, for a total transaction of $1,019,617.28. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 77,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,008,704.32. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nucor in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GK Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Nucor during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Markowski Investments acquired a new position in shares of Nucor during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. 76.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Nucor

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher steel prices and growth initiatives support the outlook. Nucor is benefiting from stronger steel pricing, resilient end-market demand, higher volumes and strategic acquisitions. Capacity expansions are expected to provide additional earnings support. NUE Rides on Expansion Actions, Higher Steel Prices & Acquisitions
• Positive Sentiment: Utility-infrastructure investment adds long-term growth capacity. Nucor announced a $60 million expansion of its Towers & Structures facility in Trinity, Alabama, subject to approvals. The project is expected to add 60 jobs and increase production of steel poles and other structures to meet growing utility-infrastructure demand. Nucor Expands Alabama Towers & Structures Facility
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s Q3 framework remains an important potential catalyst. Analysts are focusing on revenue, earnings and operating metrics for the quarter ended September 2026. The coverage signals continued investor attention to whether pricing, shipments and margins are tracking favorably. Nucor Q3 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: NUE continues to show strong relative performance. Zacks highlighted Nucor’s market outperformance, while another screen included it among highly ranked non-technology stocks with strong returns, improving estimates and business expansion. Nucor Laps the Stock Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector trading was mixed. Nucor held relatively steady while Cleveland-Cliffs declined amid profit-taking, suggesting NUE was comparatively defensive within the steel group. Steel Sector Trading

Nucor Company Profile

Nucor Corporation is a steel producer headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company manufactures steel and steel products for customers in construction, automotive, energy, heavy equipment, transportation and other industrial markets.

Nucor’s operations include electric arc furnace steel mills, which produce carbon, alloy and galvanized steel products. Its product portfolio includes sheet steel, plate, beams, bars, wire and wire mesh, steel joists, deck, piling, fabricated concrete reinforcing steel and other downstream products.