Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) Stake Reduced by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,835 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,402 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Nucor were worth $9,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Nucor in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of Nucor by 716.7% during the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 196 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nucor by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC now owns 220 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nucor in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Nucor by 2,410.0% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 251 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Nucor Stock Up 0.3 %

NUE traded up $0.51 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $161.69. 1,251,099 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,411,914. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $180.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 4.02 and a quick ratio of 2.48. Nucor Co. has a fifty-two week low of $138.90 and a fifty-two week high of $203.00. The stock has a market cap of $38.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 1.60.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 22nd. The basic materials company reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.62 by ($0.16). Nucor had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 19.62%. The firm had revenue of $8.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Nucor Co. will post 12.57 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Nucor

In other Nucor news, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 10,000 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.19, for a total transaction of $1,901,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 80,902 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,386,751.38. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Nucor news, insider Michael D. Keller sold 3,145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.67, for a total value of $609,092.15. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 24,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,817,153.91. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 10,000 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.19, for a total value of $1,901,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 80,902 shares in the company, valued at $15,386,751.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,651 shares of company stock worth $6,283,648 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NUE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Nucor from $195.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Nucor from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Nucor in a report on Monday, May 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Nucor from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nucor currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $192.75.

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.