Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $186.05 and last traded at $185.1760, with a volume of 110430 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $180.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NUE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on shares of Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. UBS Group downgraded Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $183.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nucor in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Nucor from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nucor currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.36.

Nucor Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.94. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.07. The firm has a market cap of $42.81 billion, a PE ratio of 24.88, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.86.

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

Nucor Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Nucor’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio is 29.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John J. Hollatz sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $1,049,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 96,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,470,914. This represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 5,950 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.89, for a total transaction of $939,445.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 67,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,690,889.79. The trade was a 8.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,950 shares of company stock worth $2,319,166. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nucor

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its stake in Nucor by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 1,531 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nucor by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,462 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in shares of Nucor by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Nucor by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,330 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Nucor by 51.4% during the 2nd quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 221 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

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.