Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $183.32 and last traded at $177.61, with a volume of 2559666 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $181.65.

Key Nucor News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly year-over-year growth — Net sales rose ~8.6% and Nucor reported higher gross and operating profits and adjusted EPS of $1.73, showing underlying demand/volume gains versus a year ago. Nucor Reports Results for the Fourth Quarter of 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Management signaled improvement for Q1 — Company commentary and analyst notes pointed to expected operating improvements in the coming quarter, which supports a near-term recovery thesis if margins firm. Nucor Stock Drops On Q4 Earnings Miss Despite Signaling Improvement In Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upside thesis remains — Some analysts/coverage highlight mid‑to‑high‑single-digit to double‑digit upside based on completed investments and growth strategy, supporting medium-term bullish views. Nucor: 15% Upside Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released slides and the press release/slide deck for the quarter — useful for investors who want detail on segment performance, capital allocation and near-term outlook. Quarterly Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and revenue missed consensus — Reported EPS (~$1.73 adjusted; $1.64 GAAP by some sources) and revenue ($7.69B) were below Street estimates, and cost pressures compressed margins — the proximate cause of the share decline. Nucor misses fourth-quarter estimates as costs drag on margins; shares fall Nucor (NUE) Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Liquidity & insider activity — Cash levels fell and capex remained high; recent insider sales noted in filings may weigh on sentiment for some investors. QuiverQuant Q4 Summary & Insider Activity

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NUE. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Nucor from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Nucor from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Nucor from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.27.

Nucor Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $164.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $149.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $40.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.87.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.91 by ($0.18). Nucor had a return on equity of 7.80% and a net margin of 5.18%.The company had revenue of $7.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. Nucor’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Nucor Corporation will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Nucor’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Nucor’s payout ratio is currently 31.46%.

Insider Transactions at Nucor

In other news, EVP Thomas J. Batterbee sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.28, for a total value of $330,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 17,952 shares in the company, valued at $2,967,106.56. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John J. Hollatz sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $1,049,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 96,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,470,914. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 25,995 shares of company stock valued at $3,990,634. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy CG LLC purchased a new stake in Nucor during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,418,000. Midland Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nucor during the 4th quarter valued at $17,802,000. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Nucor by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 5,422 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $885,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC increased its holdings in Nucor by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 2,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at about $318,000. 76.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nucor Company Profile

Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) is an American steel producer headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company is primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of steel and steel products, operating a network of steel mills, recycling facilities and fabrication plants across the United States and North America. Nucor’s operations emphasize electric arc furnace steelmaking using recycled scrap metal, which supports a decentralized, mill-based production model focused on efficiency and flexibility.

Product offerings span a broad range of basic and value‑added steel items, including sheet, plate, merchant bar, structural beams, reinforcing bar, tubing, fasteners and fabricated components.