Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its stake in Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) by 9.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,732 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 187 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Nucor were worth $274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Nucor by 129.0% in the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 158 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Nucor during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Nucor by 94.2% in the first quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 134 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of Nucor during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Nucor by 208.0% during the first quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 154 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Nucor news, EVP Daniel R. Needham sold 8,624 shares of Nucor stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $1,379,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 99,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,847,840. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NUE opened at $150.68 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.13 billion, a PE ratio of 8.86 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $148.99 and a 200-day moving average of $165.36. Nucor Co. has a one year low of $133.42 and a one year high of $203.00.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 22nd. The basic materials company reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $8.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.69 billion. Nucor had a return on equity of 15.69% and a net margin of 10.45%. Nucor’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Nucor Co. will post 9.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 27th. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on NUE shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Nucor from $175.00 to $160.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Argus upgraded shares of Nucor to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Nucor from $176.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Nucor from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $170.00 to $174.00 in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on Nucor from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nucor currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.00.

Nucor Profile

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.