Blue Trust Inc. Sells 2,322 Shares of Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE)

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its position in Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) by 72.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 875 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,322 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Nucor were worth $102,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Nucor in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new stake in Nucor in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in Nucor by 45.6% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 230 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NUE shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Nucor from $166.00 to $154.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Nucor from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Nucor in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nucor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $156.00 price target (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Nucor in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nucor presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.13.

Nucor Stock Performance

Shares of NUE opened at $135.19 on Friday. Nucor Co. has a 12 month low of $112.25 and a 12 month high of $203.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.07, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.28. Nucor had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 9.85%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.16 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Nucor Co. will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.16%.

About Nucor

Nucor Corporation engages in manufacture and sale of steel and steel products. It operates in three segments: steel mills, steel products, and raw materials. The Steel Mills segment produces hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized sheet steel products; plate steel products; wide-flange beams, beam blanks, and H-piling and sheet piling structural steel products; bar steel products, such as blooms, billets, concrete reinforcing and merchant bars, and engineered special bar quality products; and engages in the steel trading and rebar distribution businesses.