NUE

Nucor (NUE) Stock Rises while Hold Rating Persists

Nucor may be undervalued with strong growth indicators, but the 12 analysts following the company give it an rating of hold. Their target prices range from $39.0 to $191.0 per share, for an average of $154.25. At today's price of $170.34, Nucor is trading 10.43% away from its average target price, suggesting there is an analyst belief that shares are overpriced for the stock.

Nucor Corporation engages in manufacture and sale of steel and steel products. Based in Charlotte, NC, the large-cap Industrials company has 31,400 full time employees. Nucor has provided a 1.2% dividend yield over the last 12 months.

Nucor has a trailing twelve month P/E ratio of 6.7, compared to an average of 20.49 for the Industrials sector. Considering its EPS guidance of $12.06, the company has a forward P/E ratio of 14.1.

The average compound growth rate of the company's historical and projected earnings per share is 23.8%. On this basis, the company's PEG ratio is 0.24. However, this growth rate is probably not sustainable. In its place we will use the broader market's estimated 5-year EPS growth rate of 10.5%, which gives us a PEG ratio of 0.55. Even with this more conservative assumption on EPS growth, the PEG ratio suggests that Nucor shares are underpriced.

Furthermore, the market is potentially undervaluing Nucor in terms of its book value because its P/B ratio is 2.25. In comparison, the sector average P/B ratio is 3.78. The company's shares are currently 11.1% above their Graham number, which suggests that they are not trading at a fair value in terms of earnings and net assets.

2019-12-31 2020-12-31 2021-12-31 2022-12-31
Revenue (MM) $22,589 $20,140 $36,484 $41,512
Gross Margins 11.9% 11.1% 30.2% 30.1%
Operating Margins 8.7% 8.0% 25.5% 25.3%
Net Margins 5.63% 3.58% 18.71% 18.33%
Net Income (MM) $1,271 $721 $6,827 $7,607
Net Interest Expense (MM) -$121 -$153 -$159 -$170
Depreciation & Amort. (MM) -$735 -$785 -$865 -$1,062
Earnings Per Share $4.14 $2.36 $23.16 $25.57
EPS Growth n/a -43.0% 881.36% 10.41%
Diluted Shares (MM) 306 303 293 251
Free Cash Flow (MM) $1,332 $1,154 $4,609 $8,124
Capital Expenditures (MM) -$1,477 -$1,543 -$1,622 -$1,948
Net Current Assets (MM) $673 $595 $1,580 $1,782
Current Ratio 3.34 3.61 2.48 3.39
Long Term Debt (MM) $4,291 $5,272 $4,961 $6,614
Net Debt / EBITDA 1.12 1.63 0.33 0.22
The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.

IN FOCUS