Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for Nucor FY2025 Earnings

Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) - KeyCorp reduced their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of Nucor in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp analyst P. Gibbs now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $7.50 for the year, down from their previous forecast of $7.55. The consensus estimate for Nucor's current full-year earnings is $7.88 per share.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share 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 firm posted $3.16 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on NUE. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Nucor from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Nucor from $166.00 to $154.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Nucor from $240.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Nucor from $152.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nucor from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.13.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NUE traded up $2.20 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $137.75. 2,108,211 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,773,291. 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 has a 52-week low of $112.25 and a 52-week high of $203.00. The company's 50-day moving average price is $124.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.34. The company has a market cap of $32.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38 and a beta of 1.60.

Nucor Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Nucor's previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Nucor's payout ratio is 26.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nucor

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Nucor by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,427,899 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,724,117,000 after purchasing an additional 326,181 shares during the period. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of Nucor by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 652,502 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $98,097,000 after purchasing an additional 20,258 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Nucor in the 4th quarter valued at about $565,000. BIP Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Nucor in the 3rd quarter valued at about $681,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Nucor by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,861,945 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $883,732,000 after buying an additional 74,569 shares during the period. 76.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.