Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nucor (NYSE:NUE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on NUE. KeyCorp began coverage on Nucor in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Nucor from $182.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Nucor from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $180.00 target price (up from $165.00) on shares of Nucor in a report on Friday, January 9th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Nucor has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $188.90.

Nucor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NUE opened at $163.48 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.94. Nucor has a one year low of $97.59 and a one year high of $196.90. The firm has a market cap of $37.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.83.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.73 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Nucor will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

Nucor announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the basic materials company to buy up to 9.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Nucor’s payout ratio is currently 29.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total transaction of $1,426,568.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 67,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,763,523.50. The trade was a 10.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel R. Needham sold 3,881 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $690,818.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 88,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,717,044. The trade was a 4.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 26,401 shares of company stock valued at $4,936,152. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Nucor

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NUE. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Nucor during the second quarter worth about $856,792,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Nucor during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $609,002,000. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nucor in the 2nd quarter valued at $123,145,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Nucor by 580.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 653,845 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $84,699,000 after acquiring an additional 557,819 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Nucor by 20.1% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,042,761 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $412,081,000 after acquiring an additional 509,019 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Nucor

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company issued stronger Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $2.70–$2.80 and management noted improving mill backlog and limited direct energy exposure, which analysts say helps insulate results from geopolitical risk. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded NUE to Buy (price target $190, up from $184), calling the recent pullback an “excessive correction” and a buying opportunity—this provides a high‑profile bullish catalyst and implies ~16% upside to the new PT. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research reiterated a Buy and maintained a $185 target following Nucor’s Q1 pre‑announcement, flagging improving profitability expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp initiated coverage on Nucor (coverage initiation can add visibility but impact depends on the assigned rating and model assumptions). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks industry outlook highlighted Nucor among steel peers—notes mixed demand headwinds but supportive factors like rising steel prices and non‑residential construction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results fell short of consensus (Q4 EPS $1.73 vs. $1.91 est.; revenue $7.69B vs. $7.93B est.), creating short‑term headwinds. Combined with macro/geopolitical driven risk aversion (Middle East conflict), this helps explain intraday weakness despite the bullish analyst moves.

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.