Nucor (NYSE:NUE) Shares Down 7.9% – What’s Next?

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 19th, 2026

Shares of Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE – Get Free Report) fell 7.9% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $254.12 and last traded at $243.32. 723,548 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 55% from the average daily volume of 1,593,413 shares. The stock had previously closed at $264.19.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Nucor from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Nucor from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $274.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, May 25th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Nucor from $210.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $270.00 target price on Nucor in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.31.

Get Our Latest Report on NUE

Nucor Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $247.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.51. The stock has a market cap of $54.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.15, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.89.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The basic materials company reported $4.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.46 by $0.38. Nucor had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 12.73%. The firm had revenue of $10.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.60 earnings per share. Nucor’s revenue was up 23.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Nucor Corporation will post 17.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.86%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Stephen D. Laxton sold 3,968 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.96, for a total transaction of $1,019,617.28. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,008,704.32. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John J. Hollatz sold 10,560 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.46, for a total value of $2,729,337.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 97,865 shares in the company, valued at $25,294,187.90. This represents a 9.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,528 shares of company stock valued at $4,793,035. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nucor

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nucor in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Nucor in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Nucor in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Nucor during the second quarter worth $28,000. 76.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nucor Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.