Wall Street Zen Downgrades Nucor (NYSE:NUE) to Hold

13 Apr 2026, 06:20 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

Nucor (NYSE:NUE – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Nucor from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Nucor from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Nucor from $190.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective (up from $165.00) on shares of Nucor in a report on Friday, January 9th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.80.

View Our Latest Report on NUE

Nucor Stock Performance

Shares of Nucor stock opened at $186.19 on Friday. Nucor has a 52 week low of $105.92 and a 52 week high of $196.90. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $175.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.29. The firm has a market cap of $42.38 billion, a PE ratio of 24.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.91 by ($0.18). Nucor had a net margin of 5.37% and a return on equity of 8.26%. The business had revenue of $7.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Nucor will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insider Activity at Nucor

In related news, EVP Kenneth Rex Query sold 7,452 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.02, for a total value of $1,460,741.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 76,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,020,620.56. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 7,568 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total value of $1,426,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 67,711 shares in the company, valued at $12,763,523.50. This represents a 10.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,401 shares of company stock worth $4,936,152. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nucor

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NUE. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in Nucor in the 2nd quarter valued at about $856,792,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Nucor in the 4th quarter valued at about $609,002,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Nucor by 580.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 653,845 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $84,699,000 after purchasing an additional 557,819 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Nucor by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,042,761 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $412,081,000 after purchasing an additional 509,019 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its position in Nucor by 169.0% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 779,940 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $127,216,000 after purchasing an additional 489,950 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Nucor

Here are the key news stories impacting Nucor this week:

Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on Nucor to $225 (from $200) and reiterated a Buy rating — signaling roughly 20% upside from recent levels and likely supporting bullish investor flows. Jefferies price-target raise
Neutral Sentiment: Nucor reiterated first-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $2.70–$2.80 versus a consensus of $2.76 — essentially in line but leaving little margin for upside relative to expectations. This keeps near-term results tightly scrutinized by the market.
Neutral Sentiment: Media/features: A Motley Fool article highlights Nucor’s investment case and long-term strengths (management, cash flow, steel market exposure). These pieces can support longer-term interest but are less likely to move the stock intraday. Fool feature
Neutral Sentiment: A separate press release from a small Calgary energy company using the ticker NUE (NU E Power Corp.) is unrelated to Nucor but can cause ticker-search noise; investors should confirm NYSE:NUE references. NU E Power website launch
Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued multiple estimate revisions: it trimmed several near-term quarterly EPS forecasts (Q1 2026, Q1 2027, Q3 2026/Q3 2027 and FY2027) while raising FY2026 and FY2028 projections and lifting Q4 2026 — an overall mixed-but-tilted-downward revision for FY2027. The net effect increases uncertainty on multi-quarter demand and near-term earnings, which could cap upside despite the price-target lift.

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.