Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $160.33.

Several research firms have issued reports on NUE. Argus set a $155.00 target price on Nucor in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Nucor from $156.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Nucor from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised Nucor from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $156.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Monday, March 24th.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NUE stock opened at $109.71 on Wednesday. Nucor has a twelve month low of $97.59 and a twelve month high of $183.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $132.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.67.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 business posted $3.16 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Nucor will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Nucor's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nucor

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NUE. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Nucor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Nucor in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Nucor during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Nucor by 73.5% in the first quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Nucor Company 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.

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