InvesTrust Buys New Holdings in Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE)

InvesTrust purchased a new stake in Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 37,697 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $4,388,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Widmann Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Nucor by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Widmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,800 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Nucor by 3.3% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in Nucor by 45.6% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 230 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Nucor by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 5,467 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $822,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirador Capital Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Nucor by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 5,250 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Nucor from $150.00 to $125.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $156.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Nucor in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Nucor from $175.00 to $160.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $170.00 to $166.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.63.

Insider Transactions at Nucor

In other news, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.80, for a total value of $1,321,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 98,770 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,499,436. The trade was a 8.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Stephen D. Laxton sold 4,712 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.53, for a total value of $798,825.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 82,132 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,923,837.96. This represents a 5.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,680 shares of company stock worth $4,773,724. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Nucor Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:NUE traded down $3.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $118.09. 2,359,543 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,229,139. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.59. Nucor Co. has a twelve month low of $112.25 and a twelve month high of $203.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 1.60. The business's fifty day moving average price is $138.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.33.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $7.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.28 billion. Nucor had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 8.05%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.57 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Nucor Co. will post 8.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is a positive change from Nucor's previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Nucor's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.26%.

Nucor Profile

Nucor Corporation engages in manufacture and sale of steel and steel products. It operates in three segments: steel mills, steel products, and raw materials. The Steel Mills segment produces hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized sheet steel products; plate steel products; wide-flange beams, beam blanks, and H-piling and sheet piling structural steel products; bar steel products, such as blooms, billets, concrete reinforcing and merchant bars, and engineered special bar quality products; and engages in the steel trading and rebar distribution businesses.