Zacks Research Issues Positive Outlook for Nucor Earnings

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) – Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for Nucor in a research report issued on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings of $5.95 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $5.62. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Nucor’s current full-year earnings is $18.02 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nucor’s Q2 2027 earnings at $5.22 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.58 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $19.15 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $4.51 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $5.32 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $20.11 EPS.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The basic materials company reported $4.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.38. Nucor had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 12.73%. The company had revenue of $10.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Seaport Research Partners boosted their price objective on Nucor from $245.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Nucor from $283.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Nucor from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Nucor from $200.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.31.

Nucor Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Nucor stock opened at $272.31 on Wednesday. Nucor has a twelve month low of $131.32 and a twelve month high of $280.11. The stock has a market cap of $62.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $246.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.41.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Nucor’s payout ratio is currently 17.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Thomas J. Batterbee sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.02, for a total transaction of $1,044,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,212,340.76. This trade represents a 19.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Stephen D. Laxton sold 3,968 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.96, for a total transaction of $1,019,617.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,008,704.32. This trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 21,028 shares of company stock valued at $5,355,535 over the last 90 days. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NUE. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,350,000. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Nucor during the second quarter worth about $1,233,000. Gambit Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Nucor in the second quarter worth about $496,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Nucor in the second quarter worth about $8,117,000. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Nucor in the second quarter valued at about $126,000. 76.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nucor News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Nucor EPS forecasts for Q3 2026 to $5.95 from $5.62 and Q4 2026 to $5.06 from $4.68, suggesting expectations for near-term earnings remain resilient. However, the firm maintained a “Hold” rating. Nucor analyst estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: A separate analyst roundup found a consensus “Moderate Buy” recommendation for Nucor, indicating that Wall Street sentiment remains generally favorable despite valuation and cyclical concerns. Nucor receives Moderate Buy consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry research projects the global direct reduced iron market will grow from approximately $46.8 billion in 2024 to $96.4 billion by 2034. The long-term expansion of lower-carbon steelmaking could support industry opportunities, although the report does not identify a direct financial benefit for Nucor. Global direct reduced iron market outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut multiple future EPS forecasts: FY2027 to $19.15 from $23.08, FY2028 to $20.11 from $23.38, Q4 2027 to $3.58 from $5.69, Q1 2028 to $4.51 from $5.51, Q2 2028 to $5.32 from $5.84, and Q2 2027 to $5.22 from $5.81. These reductions point to expectations for weaker profitability later in the cycle. Zacks lowers Nucor earnings estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary is examining whether Nucor can withstand softer sheet-steel pricing, a potential threat to selling prices and margins if steel demand or pricing weakens. Nucor and softer sheet steel pricing

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.