Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) is included among the 14 Best Dividend Growth Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2026. Wells Fargo Sees Pricing Recovery and Market Share Gains for Nucor (NUE) On December 18, Wells Fargo analyst Timna Tanners lowered the price target on Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) to $176 from $178 and kept an Overweight rating on the shares. Management’s Q4 guidance came in lighter than the firm’s already cautious view, largely due to contract timing that affects about 80% of sheet shipments. Even ...

Core Insights - Nucor Corporation is set to announce its Q3 earnings on October 27, with analysts expecting a profit of $2.16 per share, a 45% increase from $1.49 per share in the same quarter last year [2][6] - The company has a mixed earnings surprise history, having missed bottom-line estimates once in the past four quarters while surpassing projections three times [2] - For the full fiscal year 2025, Nucor is projected to report an EPS of $7.80, a decrease of 12.4% from $8.90 in 2024, but is expected to rebound with a 39.2% increase to $10.86 in fiscal 2026 [3] Financial Performance - Nucor's topline for the last quarter grew 4.7% year-over-year to $8.5 billion, aligning closely with market expectations [6] - However, the company's bottom-line fell 6.5% year-over-year to $603 million, missing consensus estimates due to increased costs and high marketing and administrative expenses [6] Stock Performance - Nucor's stock has declined 11.1% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund's 5.8% drop and the S&P 500 Index's 17.9% increase during the same period [4] - Following the release of disappointing Q2 results, Nucor's stock prices fell by 2.7% [5] Analyst Ratings - The consensus opinion on Nucor stock remains optimistic, with a "Strong Buy" rating from 10 out of 14 analysts, one recommending "Moderate Buy," and three suggesting a "Hold" rating [7] - The mean price target for Nucor is $158.67, indicating a potential upside of 16.8% from current price levels [7]