Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Price Target Raised to $227.00 at Morgan Stanley

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from $180.00 to $227.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on NUE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Nucor from $198.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. KeyCorp started coverage on Nucor in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Nucor from $196.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Nucor from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Nucor in a report on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $238.00.

Nucor Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:NUE opened at $222.39 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $50.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $180.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.39. Nucor has a 1 year low of $106.21 and a 1 year high of $227.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 2.94 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.89 billion. Nucor had a return on equity of 10.77% and a net margin of 6.82%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Nucor will post 12.18 EPS for the current year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.71%.

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

Insider Transactions at Nucor

In other news, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total value of $1,426,568.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,763,523.50. This represents a 10.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel R. Needham sold 3,881 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,401 shares of company stock valued at $4,936,152. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Nucor by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,407,540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,633,554,000 after acquiring an additional 144,038 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Nucor by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,853,205 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $628,497,000 after acquiring an additional 41,728 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at $609,002,000. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Nucor by 20.1% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,042,761 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $412,081,000 after acquiring an additional 509,019 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Nucor by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,103,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $342,642,000 after acquiring an additional 210,577 shares during the last quarter. 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: Q1 results beat expectations: higher volumes, pricing and record steel‑mill shipments drove a meaningful EPS rebound, supporting the company’s outlook and margins. Nucor Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call highlights and strategic investments: management cited strong demand, trade policy tailwinds and investments in new projects that support medium‑term growth. Nucor Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street lifts targets: multiple firms raised price targets (examples: BofA to $250, Wells Fargo to $244, JPMorgan to $240, Jefferies to $250, BMO to $235) after the results, signaling analyst confidence in near‑term earnings strength. Analysts Raise Forecasts on Nucor
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum is strong: sentiment/momentum scores have surged alongside ~38% YTD gains and the Q1 beat, which can attract momentum and quant flows. Nucor Momentum Score Surges
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raises PT but keeps an equal‑weight rating — a sign some analysts see upside limited relative to peers or already priced in. Morgan Stanley Raises PT, Keeps Equal Weight
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term end‑market tailwinds (electrification, data centers) were highlighted as supportive for demand, but these are multi‑quarter drivers rather than immediate catalysts. Electrification and Data Center Megatrends
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/headwind risks remain: management noted trade policy uncertainty and rising energy costs that could pressure margins if conditions worsen. Q1 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation caution: some analysts/commentary suggest much of the improvement is already priced into the stock after the YTD rally, which can cap further upside and prompt profit‑taking. Good Results Already Reflected In Valuation

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.