Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) Shares Sold by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund decreased its position in shares of Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,086 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,213 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Nucor were worth $4,095,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NUE. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in Nucor by 8,530.1% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 1,595,179 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $239,819,000 after buying an additional 1,576,695 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Nucor by 19.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,456,484 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $519,648,000 after buying an additional 571,682 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Nucor during the third quarter worth approximately $74,829,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Nucor by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,758,753 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $205,282,000 after buying an additional 358,721 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Nucor by 2.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,427,899 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,724,117,000 after buying an additional 326,181 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of Nucor stock traded up $2.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $137.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,848,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,777,210. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Nucor Co. has a 12-month low of $112.25 and a 12-month high of $203.00. The company has a market capitalization of $32.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $126.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.55.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.28. Nucor had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 6.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Nucor Co. will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

Nucor Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Nucor's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup cut their price target on Nucor from $240.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Nucor in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Nucor from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com upgraded Nucor from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Nucor from $152.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nucor has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.13.

About Nucor

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.