Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Acquires 4,242 Shares of Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its holdings in Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) by 60.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,242 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Nucor were worth $1,315,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Nucor in the third quarter worth $26,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new stake in Nucor in the third quarter worth $29,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Nucor in the third quarter worth $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in Nucor by 45.6% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 230 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Nucor in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NUE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $166.00 to $154.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $240.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Nucor from $152.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Nucor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $156.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Nucor in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.13.

Nucor Stock Up 3.4 %

Shares of NUE opened at $142.47 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.60. Nucor Co. has a 12-month low of $112.25 and a 12-month high of $203.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $124.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.05.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company earned $3.16 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Nucor Co. will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors 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 1.54%. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.16%.

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.