We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Nucor Expects Q4 Earnings to Dip on Seasonality, Stays Bullish on 2026
Read MoreHide Full Article
Key Takeaways
NUE expects Q4 EPS of $1.65-$1.75, below Q3 but above the year-ago quarter.
Nucor sees lower steel mill and products profits from softer volumes, margin pressure and higher costs.
NUE returned about $1.2B in 2025 via buybacks and dividends and cites higher backlogs into 2026.
Nucor Corporation (NUE - Free Report) has provided an earnings outlook for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025, in the range of $1.65 to $1.75 per share. While this guidance implies a sequential decline from the $2.63 reported in the third quarter of 2025, it indicates an improvement over $1.22 per share recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The company attributed the anticipated quarter-on-quarter decline across its businesses to seasonal factors and fewer shipping days. Within the steel mills segment, earnings are expected to moderate due to lower shipment volumes and margin pressure, particularly in sheet products.
The steel products segment is also forecast to see reduced profitability, reflecting lower volumes and higher average costs per ton, partly offset by improved realized pricing. Meanwhile, the raw materials segment is expected to underperform because of two planned outages at Nucor’s direct reduced iron facilities.
Nucor Prioritizes Shareholders, Upbeat on 2026 Demand
Despite the earnings softness, Nucor continues to emphasize shareholder returns. During the quarter, the company repurchased around 0.7 million shares at an average price of approximately $145.23, bringing total year-to-date repurchases to about 5.4 million shares at an average cost of roughly $128.66 per share. Including dividends, Nucor has returned about $1.2 billion to shareholders year to date in 2025.
Management struck an optimistic tone for 2026, highlighting materially higher order backlogs compared with the prior year, particularly across construction-related end markets such as energy, infrastructure, data centers and manufacturing. The company also expects a gradual improvement in market conditions, supported by favorable monetary, tax and trade policies. Nucor is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results after market close on Jan. 26, 2026.
Shares of NUE are up 27.3% in the past six months compared with the industry’s 33.6% rise.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CMC’s current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at $7.05 per share, indicating a 125.24%% year-over-year increase. Shares of CMC have surged 42.7% over the past six months.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TX’s current fiscal-year earnings stands at $2.96 per share, implying a 84% year-over-year increase. Shares of TX have jumped 27.7% over the past 6 months.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CGAU’s current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at 97 cents per share, indicating a 37% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average earnings surprise of 22%
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Nucor Expects Q4 Earnings to Dip on Seasonality, Stays Bullish on 2026
Key Takeaways
Nucor Corporation (NUE - Free Report) has provided an earnings outlook for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025, in the range of $1.65 to $1.75 per share. While this guidance implies a sequential decline from the $2.63 reported in the third quarter of 2025, it indicates an improvement over $1.22 per share recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The company attributed the anticipated quarter-on-quarter decline across its businesses to seasonal factors and fewer shipping days. Within the steel mills segment, earnings are expected to moderate due to lower shipment volumes and margin pressure, particularly in sheet products.
The steel products segment is also forecast to see reduced profitability, reflecting lower volumes and higher average costs per ton, partly offset by improved realized pricing. Meanwhile, the raw materials segment is expected to underperform because of two planned outages at Nucor’s direct reduced iron facilities.
Nucor Prioritizes Shareholders, Upbeat on 2026 Demand
Despite the earnings softness, Nucor continues to emphasize shareholder returns. During the quarter, the company repurchased around 0.7 million shares at an average price of approximately $145.23, bringing total year-to-date repurchases to about 5.4 million shares at an average cost of roughly $128.66 per share. Including dividends, Nucor has returned about $1.2 billion to shareholders year to date in 2025.
Management struck an optimistic tone for 2026, highlighting materially higher order backlogs compared with the prior year, particularly across construction-related end markets such as energy, infrastructure, data centers and manufacturing. The company also expects a gradual improvement in market conditions, supported by favorable monetary, tax and trade policies. Nucor is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results after market close on Jan. 26, 2026.
Shares of NUE are up 27.3% in the past six months compared with the industry’s 33.6% rise.
NUE Zacks Rank & Key Picks
NUE carries a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Commercial Metals Company (CMC - Free Report) , Ternium S.A. (TX - Free Report) and Centerra Gold, Inc. (CGAU - Free Report) . CMC sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while TX and CGAU carry a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CMC’s current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at $7.05 per share, indicating a 125.24%% year-over-year increase. Shares of CMC have surged 42.7% over the past six months.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TX’s current fiscal-year earnings stands at $2.96 per share, implying a 84% year-over-year increase. Shares of TX have jumped 27.7% over the past 6 months.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CGAU’s current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at 97 cents per share, indicating a 37% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average earnings surprise of 22%