Wall Street Zen Upgrades Nucor (NYSE:NUE) to Buy

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Seaport Research Partners lifted their price objective on shares of Nucor from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Nucor from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Nucor from $182.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $188.90.

Nucor Stock Performance

Shares of NUE opened at $163.48 on Friday. Nucor has a 12-month low of $97.59 and a 12-month high of $196.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $37.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $175.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.75.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.91 by ($0.18). Nucor had a return on equity of 8.26% and a net margin of 5.37%.The company had revenue of $7.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Nucor will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nucor announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, February 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to reacquire up to 9.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Nucor

In other news, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 7,452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.02, for a total value of $1,460,741.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 76,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,020,620.56. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total transaction of $1,426,568.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 67,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,763,523.50. This represents a 10.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,401 shares of company stock worth $4,936,152. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Nucor

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NUE. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Nucor during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Stance Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nucor in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 76.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Nucor News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company issued stronger Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $2.70–$2.80 and management noted improving mill backlog and limited direct energy exposure, which analysts say helps insulate results from geopolitical risk. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded NUE to Buy (price target $190, up from $184), calling the recent pullback an “excessive correction” and a buying opportunity—this provides a high‑profile bullish catalyst and implies ~16% upside to the new PT. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Research reiterated a Buy and maintained a $185 target following Nucor’s Q1 pre‑announcement, flagging improving profitability expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp initiated coverage on Nucor (coverage initiation can add visibility but impact depends on the assigned rating and model assumptions). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks industry outlook highlighted Nucor among steel peers—notes mixed demand headwinds but supportive factors like rising steel prices and non‑residential construction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results fell short of consensus (Q4 EPS $1.73 vs. $1.91 est.; revenue $7.69B vs. $7.93B est.), creating short‑term headwinds. Combined with macro/geopolitical driven risk aversion (Middle East conflict), this helps explain intraday weakness despite the bullish analyst moves.

About Nucor

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.