Nucor (NUE)
Nucor is a giant American steelmaker that turns scrap metal into everything from car parts to skyscraper beams using highly efficient recycling furnaces.
Is Nucor a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Nucor is a giant American steelmaker that turns scrap metal into everything from car parts to skyscraper beams using highly efficient recycling furnaces.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Nucor becomes the dominant supplier for the green energy transition.
A long-term shift away from traditional steel in manufacturing.
What does Nucor do?
Nucor's earnings flow from melting down scrap metal and reshaping it into new steel products for construction and manufacturing. Unlike traditional mills, they use 'mini-mills' that are more flexible and cheaper to run, which helps them stay profitable even when the economy is bumpy. Keep an eye on the price of steel and the pace of building activity, because together they dictate how much the company can charge for its products.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and growth, and weakest on quality.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 0.9% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 23% over the year
- ✓Low debt - a sturdier balance sheet
- Growth screens high (82/100)
- Momentum screens high (89/100)
- Highly efficient recycling-based production model
- Strong track record of managing costs
- Significant role in essential infrastructure supply chains
- Fluctuating costs of raw scrap metal
- Potential for trade wars affecting steel imports and exports
- Dependence on the health of the construction and automotive industries
What do Nucor's numbers mean?
How much money does Nucor make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Nucor pay a dividend?
Yes - Nucor currently pays a dividend of about 0.9% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does Nucor report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Nucor is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-26 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-27 | $4.53 | $4.84 | Beat +7% |
| 2026-04-27 | $2.82 | $3.23 | Beat +15% |
| 2026-01-26 | $1.81 | $1.73 | Missed -4% |
| 2025-10-27 | $2.17 | $2.63 | Beat +21% |
| 2025-07-28 | $2.64 | $2.65 | In line |
| 2025-04-28 | $0.66 | $0.77 | Beat +17% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Nucor came in ahead of what analysts expected 4 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Albemarle CorporationWhat are the scenarios for Nucor?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Nucor?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Highly efficient recycling-based production model
- Strong track record of managing costs
- Significant role in essential infrastructure supply chains
- Business is very sensitive to the ups and downs of the economy
- Profit margins are relatively thin
- Share price can be quite volatile compared to the wider market
- Fluctuating costs of raw scrap metal
- Potential for trade wars affecting steel imports and exports
- Dependence on the health of the construction and automotive industries
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained, long-term drop in global steel prices
- A major shift in government policy that restricts domestic steel production
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.