Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) Shares Bought by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) by 24.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,404,477 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 474,274 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 1.02% of Nucor worth $280,627,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Nucor during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Nucor by 60.3% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 303 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nucor by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 417 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Nucor in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. 76.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NUE traded up $3.34 during trading on Thursday, hitting $115.27. 673,760 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,814,626. The company has a market cap of $26.57 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.67. Nucor Co. has a 12-month low of $97.59 and a 12-month high of $176.83. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $123.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.41. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.28. Nucor had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 9.85%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.16 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Nucor Co. will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Nucor's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Nucor from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $156.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Nucor from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $164.00 target price on Nucor in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $160.33.

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.