Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for Nucor Earnings

Posted by Brian Himes on May 13th, 2026

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE – Free Report) – Zacks Research raised their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Nucor in a report released on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $5.44 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $3.19. The consensus estimate for Nucor’s current full-year earnings is $13.64 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nucor’s Q3 2026 earnings at $4.70 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.69 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $17.06 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.79 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $5.71 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.43 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $5.15 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $21.07 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $4.66 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $20.41 EPS.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.41. Nucor had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The firm had revenue of $9.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.88 billion. The business’s revenue was up 21.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share.

A number of other research firms have also commented on NUE. UBS Group lowered Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $224.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Nucor from $180.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Nucor from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on shares of Nucor from $210.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Nucor from $212.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nucor currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.80.

View Our Latest Report on Nucor

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NUE opened at $229.77 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $52.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.87. Nucor has a twelve month low of $106.21 and a twelve month high of $235.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $187.33 and a 200 day moving average of $173.22.

Nucor announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the basic materials company to buy up to 9.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nucor news, EVP Bradley Ford sold 2,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total transaction of $519,971.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,649 shares in the company, valued at $10,132,242.37. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Noah C. Hanners sold 6,472 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.50, for a total value of $1,465,908.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 50,377 shares in the company, valued at $11,410,390.50. This represents a 11.38% 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 69,318 shares of company stock worth $15,672,093. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nucor

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Nucor by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,407,540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,633,554,000 after buying an additional 144,038 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Nucor by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,853,205 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $628,497,000 after buying an additional 41,728 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at about $609,002,000. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Nucor by 20.1% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,042,761 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $412,081,000 after acquiring an additional 509,019 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Nucor by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,539,044 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $429,298,000 after purchasing an additional 22,718 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

About Nucor

(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.