Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Buys Shares of 15,945 Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Nucor Co. (NYSE:NUE) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 15,945 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,861,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Nucor in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Nucor by 60.3% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Nucor by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 417 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Nucor during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the company’s stock.

Nucor Stock Down 1.2 %

NUE opened at $129.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $130.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.01. Nucor Co. has a 12 month low of $112.25 and a 12 month high of $203.00.

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.28. Nucor had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 6.60%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.16 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Nucor Co. will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Nucor Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Nucor’s payout ratio is currently 26.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Nucor from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup cut their price target on Nucor from $240.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Argus set a $155.00 price target on Nucor in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Nucor in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Nucor from $154.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Nucor has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

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.