Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Sets New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $183.32 and last traded at $177.61, with a volume of 2559666 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $181.65.

More Nucor News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly year-over-year growth — Net sales rose ~8.6% and Nucor reported higher gross and operating profits and adjusted EPS of $1.73, showing underlying demand/volume gains versus a year ago. Nucor Reports Results for the Fourth Quarter of 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Management signaled improvement for Q1 — Company commentary and analyst notes pointed to expected operating improvements in the coming quarter, which supports a near-term recovery thesis if margins firm. Nucor Stock Drops On Q4 Earnings Miss Despite Signaling Improvement In Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upside thesis remains — Some analysts/coverage highlight mid?to?high?single-digit to double?digit upside based on completed investments and growth strategy, supporting medium-term bullish views. Nucor: 15% Upside Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released slides and the press release/slide deck for the quarter — useful for investors who want detail on segment performance, capital allocation and near-term outlook. Quarterly Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and revenue missed consensus — Reported EPS (~$1.73 adjusted; $1.64 GAAP by some sources) and revenue ($7.69B) were below Street estimates, and cost pressures compressed margins — the proximate cause of the share decline. Nucor misses fourth-quarter estimates as costs drag on margins; shares fall Nucor (NUE) Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Liquidity & insider activity — Cash levels fell and capex remained high; recent insider sales noted in filings may weigh on sentiment for some investors. QuiverQuant Q4 Summary & Insider Activity

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Nucor in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Nucor from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Nucor from $182.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nucor in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $180.00 price objective (up previously from $165.00) on shares of Nucor in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.27.

Nucor Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $164.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.78. The stock has a market cap of $40.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 5.18% and a return on equity of 7.80%. The business had revenue of $7.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.22 EPS. Nucor’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Nucor Corporation will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Nucor’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.46%.

Insider Activity at Nucor

In other news, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 9,042 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $1,367,873.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 73,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,143,436.08. This trade represents a 10.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John J. Hollatz sold 7,000 shares of the company’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 value of $1,049,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 96,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,470,914. This represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,995 shares of company stock valued at $3,990,634. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NUE. Legacy CG LLC acquired a new stake in Nucor in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,418,000. Midland Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at about $17,802,000. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Nucor by 29.7% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 5,422 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $885,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Welch Group LLC grew its position in shares of Nucor by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 2,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $318,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Nucor Company Profile

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.