Nucor’s (NUE) “Hold” Rating Reiterated at Freedom Broker

Nucor (NYSE:NUE)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Freedom Broker in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $285.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $305.00. Freedom Broker’s price target indicates a potential upside of 13.92% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, May 25th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Nucor from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $274.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Nucor from $260.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Nucor from $294.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners lifted their price target on Nucor from $245.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.79.

Nucor Stock Performance

Shares of NUE stock traded down $14.97 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $250.17. 915,576 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,566,434. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $254.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $226.67. Nucor has a fifty-two week low of $131.32 and a fifty-two week high of $280.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.87.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The basic materials company reported $4.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.46 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $10.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Nucor will post 18.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Nucor news, EVP Thomas Batterbee sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.02, for a total value of $1,044,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,138 shares in the company, valued at $4,212,340.76. This trade represents a 19.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 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 trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Nucor during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,452,563,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Nucor in the 4th quarter valued at $609,002,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Nucor by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,539,044 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $429,298,000 after acquiring an additional 22,718 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Nucor during the 2nd quarter worth about $462,886,000. Finally, Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in Nucor during the 2nd quarter valued at about $413,814,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Nucor

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Nucor expects third-quarter diluted EPS of $5.55 to $5.65, above adjusted EPS of $4.84 in the second quarter and $2.63 in the year-ago quarter. The outlook indicates continued earnings momentum, although it was below analysts’ consensus. Nucor Announces Guidance for the Third Quarter of 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Nucor declared its 214th consecutive quarterly cash dividend, maintaining its regular payment of $0.56 per share. The announcement reinforces the company’s record of returning capital to shareholders, though the dividend was expected and is unlikely to be a major near-term catalyst. Nucor Announces 214th Consecutive Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary characterizes Nucor as a momentum stock with potential long-term upside, while a separate cash-flow analysis estimates the shares may be approximately 37% undervalued. These are valuation opinions rather than new company developments, and they conflict with the immediate earnings-guidance concern. Nucor Stock May Be 37% Undervalued on Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: The third-quarter EPS forecast of $5.55 to $5.65 is below the analyst consensus of $6.17. That earnings shortfall relative to expectations triggered after-hours weakness and is the most likely reason Nucor shares have decreased, despite projected growth from both prior periods. Nucor Sets Q3 EPS Forecast; Shares Decline After Hours

About Nucor

Nucor Corporation is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based steel and steel products company. It manufactures carbon, alloy and stainless steel products, including sheet, plate, bar, structural steel, rail, wire rod, rebar and merchant bar. The company also produces steel joists, deck, beams, piling, wire products, fasteners, grating, metal building systems and other fabricated steel products.

Nucor operates an integrated network of electric arc furnace steel mills, recycling facilities and downstream manufacturing operations.