Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $921,000 Stake in Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,288 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 157 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Nucor were worth $921,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nucor during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its stake in Nucor by 716.7% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 196 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC boosted its holdings in Nucor by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC now owns 220 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nucor by 2,410.0% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 251 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Nucor in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 76.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Nucor Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NUE opened at $171.79 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $41.23 billion, a PE ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a current ratio of 4.02. Nucor Co. has a 52 week low of $129.79 and a 52 week high of $203.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $188.31 and its 200-day moving average is $175.83.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 22nd. The basic materials company reported $3.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by ($0.16). Nucor had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 19.62%. The business had revenue of $8.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Nucor Co. will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Nucor’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Nucor from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com cut Nucor from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Nucor from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Nucor in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Nucor from $195.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $193.14.

Insider Transactions at Nucor

In related news, insider Michael D. Keller sold 3,145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.67, for a total transaction of $609,092.15. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 24,873 shares in the company, valued at $4,817,153.91. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Michael D. Keller sold 3,145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.67, for a total value of $609,092.15. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 24,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,153.91. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Allen C. Behr sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.19, for a total value of $1,901,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 80,902 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,386,751.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,651 shares of company stock worth $6,283,648 in the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.