Zacks Research Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for Nucor

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Nucor in a research report issued on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the basic materials company will earn $5.47 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $5.44. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Nucor’s current full-year earnings is $14.58 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nucor’s Q2 2027 earnings at $5.74 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.73 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $5.46 EPS.

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. Nucor had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 6.82%.The firm had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. Nucor’s revenue was up 21.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Nucor in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Nucor from $180.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays began coverage on Nucor in a research note on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on Nucor from $180.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Nucor from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.50.

Nucor Price Performance

NUE opened at $231.99 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $196.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.78. Nucor has a 12-month low of $106.21 and a 12-month high of $235.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $52.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.97, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.87.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NUE. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Nucor in the 4th quarter valued at about $609,002,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nucor by 580.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 653,845 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $84,699,000 after acquiring an additional 557,819 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Nucor by 20.1% in the 3rd 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. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Nucor by 169.0% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 779,940 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $127,216,000 after acquiring an additional 489,950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Nucor by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,780,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $290,405,000 after acquiring an additional 383,952 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Nucor

In other Nucor news, insider Michael D. Keller sold 4,554 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.86, for a total transaction of $1,028,566.44. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,834 shares in the company, valued at $3,802,127.24. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 10,096 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.08, for a total value of $2,282,503.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 62,871 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,213,875.68. This trade represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 71,818 shares of company stock worth $16,234,593 over the last quarter. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Nucor declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the basic materials company to reacquire up to 9.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.