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Nucor's Earnings Lag Estimates in Q2, Sales Up on Higher Volumes
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Key Takeaways
NUE posted Q2 earnings of $2.60 per share, missing estimates and down slightly from $2.68 last year.
NUE's Q2 net sales rose 4.7% year over year to $8,456M, topping the consensus estimate of $8,405.1M.
Total sales tons to outside customers for steel mills rose 9% to 5,044,000 tons.
Nucor Corporation (NUE - Free Report) reported earnings of $2.60 per share for the second quarter of 2025, down from $2.68 in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.62.
The company recorded net sales of $8,456 million, up around 4.7% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8,405.1 million.
Nucor Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Total sales tons to outside customers for steel mills in the second quarter were 5,044,000 tons, up 9% year over year. The figure lagged our estimate of 5,359,000 tons.
Overall operating rates at the company's steel mills increased to 85% in the second quarter of 2025 from 80% in the first quarter of 2025 and 75% in the second quarter of 2024.
Nucor’s Segment Highlights
In the reported quarter, the steel mill segment experienced an increase in earnings from the prior-quarter tally. The upside was primarily due to higher average selling prices at NUE’s sheet and plate mills.
The steel products segment saw an upside in earnings in the second quarter from the first-quarter levels. Stable average selling prices and higher volumes caused the uptick.
The raw materials segment saw a rise in earnings in the second quarter sequentially, driven by scrap processing operations.
NUE’s Financial Position
Cash and cash equivalents were $1,946 million at the end of the quarter, down around 57.4% year over year. Long-term debt was $6,692 million, up 18.5% year over year.
In the second quarter, Nucor repurchased roughly 1.8 million shares of its common stock.
Nucor’s Outlook
The company expects earnings for the third quarter of 2025 to be slightly lower than in the second quarter due to a fall in earnings in the steel mills unit and comparable earnings in the steel products and raw materials segments. Despite strong backlogs and a consistent demand outlook, NUE anticipates margin compression in the third quarter compared to the second quarter.
NUE’s Price Performance
Shares of Nucor are down 9.3% in a year compared with the industry’s 21.7% fall.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NUE’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks
NUE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Better-ranked stocks worth a look in the basic materials space include Royal Gold, Inc. (RGLD - Free Report) , Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC - Free Report) and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM - Free Report) .
Royal Gold is slated to report second-quarter results on Aug 6. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.70. RGLD beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 9%. RGLD carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Kinross is scheduled to report second-quarter results on July 30. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KGC’s second-quarter earnings is pegged at 27 cents. KGC beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 16.1%. KGC currently carries a Zacks Rank #1.
Agnico Eagle is slated to report second-quarter results on July 30. The consensus estimate for AEM’s earnings is pegged at $1.69. AEM, carrying a Zacks Rank #1, beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 12.3%.
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Nucor's Earnings Lag Estimates in Q2, Sales Up on Higher Volumes
Key Takeaways
Nucor Corporation (NUE - Free Report) reported earnings of $2.60 per share for the second quarter of 2025, down from $2.68 in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.62.
The company recorded net sales of $8,456 million, up around 4.7% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8,405.1 million.
Nucor Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Nucor Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Nucor Corporation Quote
NUE’s Operating Figures
Total sales tons to outside customers for steel mills in the second quarter were 5,044,000 tons, up 9% year over year. The figure lagged our estimate of 5,359,000 tons.
Overall operating rates at the company's steel mills increased to 85% in the second quarter of 2025 from 80% in the first quarter of 2025 and 75% in the second quarter of 2024.
Nucor’s Segment Highlights
In the reported quarter, the steel mill segment experienced an increase in earnings from the prior-quarter tally. The upside was primarily due to higher average selling prices at NUE’s sheet and plate mills.
The steel products segment saw an upside in earnings in the second quarter from the first-quarter levels. Stable average selling prices and higher volumes caused the uptick.
The raw materials segment saw a rise in earnings in the second quarter sequentially, driven by scrap processing operations.
NUE’s Financial Position
Cash and cash equivalents were $1,946 million at the end of the quarter, down around 57.4% year over year. Long-term debt was $6,692 million, up 18.5% year over year.
In the second quarter, Nucor repurchased roughly 1.8 million shares of its common stock.
Nucor’s Outlook
The company expects earnings for the third quarter of 2025 to be slightly lower than in the second quarter due to a fall in earnings in the steel mills unit and comparable earnings in the steel products and raw materials segments. Despite strong backlogs and a consistent demand outlook, NUE anticipates margin compression in the third quarter compared to the second quarter.
NUE’s Price Performance
Shares of Nucor are down 9.3% in a year compared with the industry’s 21.7% fall.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NUE’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks
NUE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Better-ranked stocks worth a look in the basic materials space include Royal Gold, Inc. (RGLD - Free Report) , Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC - Free Report) and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM - Free Report) .
Royal Gold is slated to report second-quarter results on Aug 6. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.70. RGLD beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 9%. RGLD carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Kinross is scheduled to report second-quarter results on July 30. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KGC’s second-quarter earnings is pegged at 27 cents. KGC beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 16.1%. KGC currently carries a Zacks Rank #1.
Agnico Eagle is slated to report second-quarter results on July 30. The consensus estimate for AEM’s earnings is pegged at $1.69. AEM, carrying a Zacks Rank #1, beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 12.3%.