Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) Holdings Reduced by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co cut its stake in Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 216,227 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 9,160 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned about 0.09% of Nucor worth $25,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Nucor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Nucor during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Nucor Stock Performance

NUE traded up $3.45 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $115.38. 1,783,926 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,059,619. The stock has a market cap of $26.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.48. Nucor Co. has a 12 month low of $97.59 and a 12 month high of $178.32.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 9.85%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.16 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Nucor Co. will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. Nucor's payout ratio is currently 26.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on NUE shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Nucor from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Nucor from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Argus set a $155.00 price objective on Nucor in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group raised Nucor from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $156.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Nucor from $156.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.