How much a stock's price changes over time is a significant driver for most investors. Not only can price performance impact your portfolio, but it can help you compare investment results across sectors and industries as well.
The fear of missing out, or FOMO, also plays a factor in investing, especially with particular tech giants, as well as popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in Nucor (NUE) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to NUE for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?
Nucor's Business In-Depth
With that in mind, let's take a look at Nucor's main business drivers.
Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Nucor Corporation is a leading producer of structural steel, steel bars, steel joists, steel deck and cold finished bars in the United States. It also produces direct reduced iron (“DRI”) that is used in its steel mills. The company has 123 operating facilities, primarily in the United States and Canada. Also, most of its operating facilities and customers are located in North America.
Over the years, the company has grown through acquisitions as well as by tapping new markets and expanding geographically. Through its network of “mini-mills”, the company produces steel sheets, bars, plates as well as various structural and other products. Nucor, in 2014, completed the acquisition of Gallatin Steel Company from global steel giant ArcelorMittal and Brazilian steel maker Gerdau for roughly $770 million in cash. Notably, the company is North America’s largest recycler, which uses scrap steel as the primary raw material in producing steel and steel products.
Nucor operates in three segments – the Steel Mills segment (roughly 23.1 million shipments in 2024), the Steel Products segment and the Raw Materials segment. The Steel Mills segment manufactures hot rolled steel products such as angles, rounds, flats, channels, rebar, sheets, wide-flange beams, pilings, billets, blooms, beam blanks, and plates; and cold-rolled steel products. The Steel Products segment makes steel joists and joist girders, steel deck, cold finished steel, steel fasteners, metal building systems and light gauge steel framing among other products. The Raw Materials segment produces direct reduced iron, ferrous and nonferrous metals, and pig iron; ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap from the facility in Trinidad.
Nucor sells its hot-rolled steel and cold-rolled steel to steel service centers, fabricators, and manufacturers; steel joists and joist girders, and steel deck to general contractors and fabricators; and cold finished steel and steel fasteners to distributors and manufacturers. Its steel products are used in highways, bridges, reservoirs, utilities, hospitals, schools, airports, stadiums and high-rise buildings.
Bottom Line
Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of a few things: research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Nucor a decade ago, you're probably feeling pretty good about your investment today.
A $1000 investment made in November 2015 would be worth $3,811.50, or a 281.15% gain, as of November 28, 2025, according to our calculations. Investors should note that this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
In comparison, the S&P 500's gained 225.95% and the price of gold went up 278.39% over the same time frame.
Analysts are anticipating more upside for NUE.
Earnings estimates for Nucor for the fourth quarter have been stable over the past month. The company is committed to expanding its production capabilities and growing its business through strategic acquisitions. Its efforts to boost production capacity through several growth projects should drive profitability. Nucor is also seeing strong momentum in non-residential construction and improved demand in the automotive market. It remains focused on achieving greater penetration in automotive. The company is committed to maximizing returns to its shareholders by leveraging strong cash flows. However, weaker steel prices are expected to hurt Nucor's margins. The weakness in heavy equipment and rail cars markets is likely to impact its shipment volumes. The steel industry is also reeling under oversupply.
Over the past four weeks, shares have rallied 6.27%, and there have been 4 higher earnings estimate revisions in the past two months for fiscal 2025 compared to none lower. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.
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Nucor Corporation (NUE): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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