Nucor Corporation (NUE) Stock Price & How to Invest
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
You can invest in Nucor (NUE) by buying shares or fractional shares at any major broker, through an ETF that holds it (such as XLB, SLX, or SCHD), or as one holding in a thematic basket. NUE is a best-in-class cyclical with dividend-growth quality: the largest US steelmaker, using lower-carbon, lower-cost electric arc furnaces to make flat-rolled, structural, and bar steel plus downstream products, competing with Steel Dynamics and Cleveland-Cliffs. Steel spreads, infrastructure and reshoring demand, and a 51-plus-year dividend streak drive it.
NUE stock price
As of 2026-07-24, Nucor Corporation (NUE) last closed at $247.56, up 69.8% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $131.78 and $266.35.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Nucor Corporation's investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does Nucor Corporation (NUE) do?
Nucor is the largest steel producer in the United States and one of the largest in North America. The company uses electric arc furnace (EAF) technology that melts recycled scrap steel rather than traditional blast furnaces that smelt iron ore. EAF steel production has significantly lower carbon emissions than blast furnace steel and is generally lower-cost in North America given the abundance of scrap and the cost of natural gas relative to coking coal.
Nucor's product range spans flat-rolled steel (used in automotive, appliances, construction), structural steel (used in buildings and infrastructure), bar steel (used in rebar and concrete reinforcement), and downstream specialty products (joists, decking, fabricated structural). The company has been one of the most consistent operators in US steel through cycles. Founded in 1962 as Nuclear Corporation of America (pivoted to steel under Ken Iverson), headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Leon Topalian has been CEO since 2020.
What's driving Nucor Corporation (NUE)?
1. Infrastructure and reshoring demand.
US infrastructure investment, reshoring of manufacturing capacity, semiconductor fab buildouts (which consume vast amounts of structural steel), and data center construction all drive structural steel demand. Nucor has been benefiting from these trends.
2. Carbon-advantaged production.
EAF steel has substantially lower carbon emissions than blast furnace steel. As carbon pricing and customer preferences shift toward lower-carbon materials, Nucor's production process becomes increasingly advantaged. Automotive and infrastructure buyers increasingly value lower-carbon steel.
3. Capacity expansion and product diversification.
Nucor has been investing in new mill capacity and downstream product extensions (insulated metal panels, racking, joists, decking). The strategy provides both growth and product mix shift toward higher-margin specialty products.
4. Steel cycle exposure.
Steel prices and margins are cyclical. Nucor has navigated cycles better than peers, but earnings can swing meaningfully with steel spreads (the difference between steel selling prices and scrap input costs).
What are the risks to Nucor Corporation (NUE)?
Steel cycle volatility. Scrap input cost fluctuations. Trade policy (tariffs and quotas) affects pricing dynamics. Competition from imports during downturns.
How is Nucor Corporation (NUE) valued? (approximate, early 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Nucor Corporation's investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue (TTM): ~$32 billion
- Operating margin: ~12% (cyclical)
- Net income (TTM): ~$3 billion
- EPS (TTM): ~$13.50
- P/E (TTM): ~13x
- Price to sales: ~1x
- Dividend yield: ~1.5%, with 51+ consecutive years of growth
- Free cash flow: ~$3 billion annually
- Capex: Heavy current capex on new capacity
Nucor trades at a modest P/E typical of cyclical steel. The premium versus pure commodity peers comes from EAF cost structure, operating discipline through cycles, the 51+ year dividend growth streak, and infrastructure/reshoring exposure. The multiple expands during steel up-cycles.
Which ETFs hold Nucor Corporation (NUE)?
If you want NUE exposure as part of a larger bundle rather than directly, these ETFs hold it meaningfully. Weights are approximate and refresh quarterly.
What themes does Nucor Corporation (NUE) fit?
These are the investment theses NUE naturally fits into. Each links to a full theme guide listing every other stock that belongs and the ETFs commonly used as a passive proxy.
Critical materials
Largest US steel producer; EAF technology is structurally lower-carbon and has supply-chain reshoring tailwinds.
Dividend growth
51+ consecutive years of dividend growth, one of the longest streaks in the S&P 500.
Infrastructure and reshoring
Largest US steel producer; structural steel consumed by fabs, data centers, and infrastructure.
Real assets
Nucor is the largest U.S. steelmaker, a materials producer whose earnings move with steel prices and construction and manufacturing demand.
Who competes with Nucor Corporation (NUE)?
US steel producers
Steel Dynamics is the closest direct competitor in EAF-based US steel production and has been similarly disciplined through cycles. Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest US iron-ore-based (blast furnace) steel producer after acquiring AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA. Commercial Metals Company is another EAF competitor. US Steel agreed to be acquired by Nippon Steel in 2023; the deal has faced political headwinds.
International steel producers
ArcelorMittal, POSCO, JFE Steel, Nippon Steel, Tata Steel, and various Chinese state-owned producers compete globally. Import competition into the US is constrained by tariffs and quotas, particularly under Section 232.
What stocks are similar to Nucor Corporation (NUE)?
Other names that show up alongside NUE in the same themes. Worth a look if you're thinking about diversification within a single thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.
Also fits Critical materials. Industrial gases including helium and specialty electronic gases that semiconductor and defense customers depend on.
Also fits Dividend growth. Long history of consistent dividend growth; precision agriculture franchise supports through-cycle cash flow.
Also fits Infrastructure and reshoring. Electrical infrastructure contractor for utility grid investment and renewable interconnection.
Also fits Infrastructure and reshoring. MEP contractor with broad industrial and commercial exposure.
How to invest in Nucor Corporation (NUE)
There are three common ways to get NUE exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it (PAVE, XME, VO), which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so NUE sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where NUE fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.
The bottom line on Nucor Corporation (NUE)
Nucor (NUE) is a cyclical steel producer whose EAF cost advantage, operating discipline, and one of the longest dividend-growth streaks in the S&P 500 set it apart from commodity peers. In a portfolio it behaves as a dividend-growth and infrastructure-reshoring holding whose earnings swing with steel spreads and scrap costs, more stable than smaller steelmakers but still cyclical, often held across dividend-growth, critical-materials, and infrastructure baskets.
More on Nucor Corporation (NUE)
Whether NUE is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is NUE a buy?, and where the stock could go from here in the NUE stock forecast.
For income investors, whether NUE pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does NUE pay a dividend? And to weigh NUE against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: NUE vs LIN and NUE vs DE.
Build a basket around NUE with Walnut
Use Nucor Corporation as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
What is Nucor's ticker symbol?
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NUE, listed on NYSE. Officially Nucor Corporation. Founded 1962 as Nuclear Corporation of America (pivoted to steel under Ken Iverson). Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Trades during US market hours, available at every major US brokerage.
Who are Nucor's competitors?
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In US steel: Steel Dynamics is the closest direct competitor (both are EAF-based). Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest US blast furnace producer. Commercial Metals Company is another EAF competitor. US Steel agreed to be acquired by Nippon Steel in 2023. Internationally: ArcelorMittal, POSCO, JFE Steel, Tata Steel, and various Chinese producers compete globally.
Is Nucor a good dividend stock?
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Yes, exceptionally. Nucor has raised its dividend for 51+ consecutive years (one of the longest streaks in the S&P 500). The current yield is approximately 1.5% as of early 2026. The dividend has been maintained and grown through multiple steel cycles, supported by financial discipline and operating excellence.
What is Nucor's P/E ratio?
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Approximately 13x trailing twelve months as of early 2026. Modest, typical of cyclical steel. The multiple expands during steel up-cycles and compresses during downcycles. The premium versus pure commodity peers comes from EAF cost structure, operating discipline, and the multi-decade dividend growth track record.
What does Nucor do?
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Nucor is the largest steel producer in the United States. The company uses electric arc furnace (EAF) technology that melts recycled scrap steel, which has lower carbon emissions and is generally lower-cost than traditional blast furnace production. Product range includes flat-rolled, structural, bar, and downstream specialty products like joists, decking, and fabricated structural.
Who owns the most Nucor stock?
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Major institutional holders include Vanguard (~10%), BlackRock (~7%), and State Street (~4%). Insider ownership is low. Nucor is broadly institutionally owned and widely held in dividend-growth, value, and industrials-focused funds.
Which ETFs have the most Nucor exposure?
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XLB (Materials Select Sector SPDR) holds NUE at ~3-4%. SLX (VanEck Steel ETF) holds NUE at its largest weight (~12-15%) as the pure-play steel ETF. SCHD holds NUE because of the 51+ year dividend growth streak. VOO holds NUE at ~0.2%. Steel-themed ETFs are the most concentrated way to gain NUE exposure.
Which thematic baskets typically include Nucor?
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Three themes on Walnut. Infrastructure and reshoring (structural steel consumed by fabs, data centers, and infrastructure projects), Critical materials (largest US steel producer using EAF technology), and Dividend growth (51+ consecutive years of dividend growth, one of the longest streaks in the S&P 500). NUE is one of few stocks spanning multiple thematic baskets.
How much of SLX is Nucor?
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Approximately 12-15% as of early 2026, making NUE the largest single SLX holding. SLX is the standard pure-play steel ETF and its top weights to US steel makers (NUE, STLD, CLF) plus international steel give concentrated steel cycle exposure.
Is Nucor in the S&P 500?
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Yes. NUE has been an S&P 500 constituent for many years. Among S&P 500 dividend aristocrats specifically (companies with 25+ years of dividend growth), NUE has one of the longest growth streaks at 51+ years, which is one of the longest streaks in the entire index.
What is Nucor's market cap?
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Approximately $30 billion as of early 2026. Market cap is more stable than smaller cyclical steel peers because of NUE's scale and operating discipline. The company has demonstrated through multiple cycles that it can maintain dividend growth even at trough earnings.
What is EAF technology?
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Electric Arc Furnace steelmaking melts recycled scrap steel using electric current instead of smelting iron ore in blast furnaces. EAF has 50-70% lower carbon emissions than blast furnace steel and is generally lower-cost in North America given the abundance of scrap and the cost of natural gas relative to coking coal. NUE is the largest US EAF producer; structural advantages from EAF have driven multi-decade share gains.
Is Nucor a good reshoring play?
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Yes. Reshoring of US manufacturing (semiconductor fabs, battery facilities, EV manufacturing) requires substantial structural steel. Data center construction also consumes meaningful structural steel. NUE has been one of the more direct beneficiaries given the EAF cost structure and US manufacturing concentration. The federal infrastructure law (IIJA) adds additional steel demand.
Should I own Nucor directly or through SLX?
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Both common. Direct NUE gives concentrated EAF steel exposure plus the multi-decade dividend growth track record. SLX includes NUE at ~12-15% along with other steel exposure. Many Walnut users hold NUE directly in dividend-growth or infrastructure baskets rather than through SLX, given NUE's quality positioning versus the broader steel universe.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Nucor Corporation's investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.