Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Stock Gets Price Target Boost from Barclays

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) had its price target upped by Barclays from $306.00 to $320.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Barclays‘s target price points to a potential upside of 18.45% from the company’s previous close.

NUE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Nucor from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Nucor from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $270.00 price target on shares of Nucor in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Freedom Broker cut shares of Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of Nucor from $288.00 to $286.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nucor presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.00.

Nucor Price Performance

Nucor stock traded down $0.64 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $270.15. 465,568 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,533,919. Nucor has a 12-month low of $140.93 and a 12-month high of $280.11. The business’s 50-day moving average is $252.47 and its 200-day moving average is $221.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.29 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28 and a beta of 1.84.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The basic materials company reported $5.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.84 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $11.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 32.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Nucor will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nucor

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Nucor during the second quarter valued at $25,000. GK Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Markowski Investments purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Nucor News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong third-quarter performance: Nucor reported $1.32 billion in net earnings, or $5.80 per diluted share, on $11.25 billion in sales. Revenue increased 32% year over year, while higher steel prices and shipments lifted profitability across the steel mills and steel products segments. The results exceeded some estimates, although they narrowly missed others. Nucor Reports Results for the Third Quarter of 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Constructive near-term outlook: Management expects fourth-quarter earnings to be generally in line with or modestly above the third quarter, with stronger realized pricing expected to offset seasonally lower volumes and higher costs. Record steel-mill shipments and pricing gains contributed to the company’s strongest quarterly performance in more than three years. Nucor Rises After Strong Q3 Results and Confident Fourth-Quarter Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth investments are beginning to contribute: Nucor highlighted strong demand from infrastructure, utilities, automotive and data-center construction. Its West Virginia sheet mill and Berkeley galvanizing line have begun production, while management expects improving prices and greater contributions from these investments to support growth in 2027. Nucor Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Strong Demand and 2027 Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital returns and cash flow remain supportive: Nucor repurchased approximately 2.03 million shares during the quarter and returned about $629 million through buybacks and dividends. However, elevated capital spending and pre-operating costs are expected to continue as new facilities ramp up.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a cautionary signal: Reported insider activity shows sales by multiple executives and no open-market purchases over the past six months. This may temper investor enthusiasm, particularly after the post-earnings advance. Steel-market cyclicality, higher costs and potentially lower seasonal shipments also remain risks.

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.