Zacks Research Issues Positive Estimate for Nucor Earnings

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Nucor in a note issued to investors on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings of $3.23 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $3.05. The consensus estimate for Nucor’s current full-year earnings is $7.64 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nucor’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.97 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.51 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $13.43 EPS.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 8.26% and a net margin of 5.37%.The company had revenue of $7.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.93 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on NUE. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nucor in a report on Monday, December 29th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Nucor from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $180.00 price target (up from $165.00) on shares of Nucor in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Nucor from $176.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nucor has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.36.

Nucor Price Performance

Nucor stock opened at $192.91 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.58, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.86. The business has a 50-day moving average of $169.44 and a 200-day moving average of $152.37. The company has a current ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Nucor has a 1 year low of $97.59 and a 1 year high of $193.09.

Nucor Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John J. Hollatz sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $1,049,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 96,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,470,914. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the firm’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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 67,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,763,523.50. This represents a 10.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 33,899 shares of company stock valued at $5,794,577. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NUE. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in Nucor during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $856,792,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Nucor during the second quarter worth $479,858,000. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor in the second quarter valued at about $123,145,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Nucor in the second quarter valued at about $105,435,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Nucor by 580.9% during 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. 76.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.