Nucor Announces Guidance for the Third Quarter of 2025 Earnings

Rhea-AI Summary

Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) has released guidance for Q3 2025, projecting earnings of $2.05 to $2.15 per diluted share, down from $2.60 in Q2 2025 but up from $1.05 in Q3 2024. The company expects decreased earnings across all operating segments, with the steel mills segment affected by lower volumes and margin compression.

During Q3, Nucor has repurchased approximately 0.7 million shares at $140.46 per share. Year-to-date, the company has returned about $985 million to stockholders through share repurchases and dividends. The company plans to release detailed Q3 2025 earnings after market close on October 27, 2025.

Positive

• Year-over-year earnings improvement from $1.05 to projected $2.05-$2.15 per share
• Strong shareholder returns with $985 million distributed year-to-date
• Continued share repurchase program execution at average price of $140.46 per share

Negative

• Quarter-over-quarter earnings decline expected across all segments
• Lower volumes and margin compression in steel mills segment
• Decreased profitability in scrap processing operations
• Higher average costs per ton in steel products segment

Insights

Financial Analyst

Nucor expects Q3 2025 earnings decline across all segments despite YoY improvement; continues significant shareholder returns through buybacks.

Nucor's Q3 2025 guidance reveals expected earnings of $2.05-$2.15 per diluted share, representing a 21% sequential decline from Q2's $2.60, but a substantial 95% improvement year-over-year from Q3 2024's $1.05. This divergence highlights Nucor's cyclical but improving business trajectory.

The projected earnings decrease affects all three operating segments. In the steel mills segment—Nucor's core business—lower volumes and margin compression are the primary culprits, suggesting potentially softening demand and pricing pressure. The steel products segment faces stable pricing and volumes but will be squeezed by higher average costs per ton, indicating possible inflationary pressures in their production chain. Raw materials operations will see reduced profitability specifically in scrap processing.

Despite these headwinds, Nucor continues aggressive capital return policies. The company repurchased approximately 0.7 million shares at $140.46 per share during Q3, bringing year-to-date buybacks to 4.8 million shares at an average price of $126.26. Total shareholder returns year-to-date reached $985 million through both repurchases and dividends. This suggests management maintains confidence in Nucor's long-term outlook despite the quarter-to-quarter volatility.

As North America's largest recycler with operations across the US, Canada, and Mexico, Nucor's performance serves as a barometer for broader industrial activity, particularly in nonresidential construction—a key demand driver for many of their products. The current guidance implies cooling but not collapsing demand conditions in these sectors.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) today announced guidance for its third quarter ending October 4, 2025. Nucor expects third quarter earnings to be in the range of $2.05 to $2.15 per diluted share. Nucor reported net earnings of $2.60 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2025 and $1.05 per diluted share in the third quarter of 2024.

Third Quarter of 2025 Commentary
Earnings in the third quarter of 2025 are expected to decrease across all three of our operating segments as compared to the second quarter of 2025. The expected decrease in the steel mills segment earnings is primarily due to lower volumes coupled with margin compression. In the steel products segment, earnings are expected to decrease due to higher average costs per ton on stable average realized pricing and volumes. The raw materials segment is expected to have lower earnings in the third quarter of 2025 due to lower profitability in our scrap processing operations.

During the third quarter, Nucor has repurchased approximately 0.7 million shares at an average price of $140.46 per share (approximately 4.8 million shares year-to-date at an average price of $126.26 per share). Nucor has returned approximately $985 million to stockholders in the form of share repurchases and dividend payments year-to-date.

Third Quarter of 2025 Earnings Release and Conference Call
Nucor plans to release its earnings after the markets close on Monday, October 27, 2025, and will host a conference call the morning of Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to review the Company's third quarter results. The event will be broadcast on the internet, and instructions on how to access will be sent closer to the call.

About Nucor
Nucor and its affiliates are manufacturers of steel and steel products, with operating facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Products produced include: carbon and alloy steel -- in bars, beams, sheet and plate; hollow structural section tubing; electrical conduit; steel racking; steel piling; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; precision castings; steel fasteners; metal building systems; insulated metal panels; overhead doors; steel grating; wire and wire mesh; and utility structures. Nucor, through The David J. Joseph Company and its affiliates, also brokers ferrous and nonferrous metals, pig iron and hot briquetted iron / direct reduced iron; supplies ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap. Nucor is North America's largest recycler.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties which we expect will or may occur in the future and may impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. The words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "intend," "project," "may," "will," "should," "could" and similar expressions are intended to identify those forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's best judgment based on current information, and, although we base these statements on circumstances that we believe to be reasonable when made, there can be no assurance that future events will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking information. As such, the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may vary materially from the projected results and expectations discussed in this news release. Factors that might cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (1) competitive pressure on sales and pricing, including pressure from imports and substitute materials; (2) U.S. and foreign trade policies affecting steel imports or exports; (3) the sensitivity of the results of our operations to general market conditions, and in particular, prevailing market steel prices and changes in the supply and cost of raw materials, including pig iron, iron ore and scrap steel; (4) the availability and cost of electricity and natural gas, which could negatively affect our cost of steel production or result in a delay or cancellation of existing or future drilling within our natural gas drilling programs; (5) critical equipment failures and business interruptions; (6) market demand for steel products, which, in the case of many of our products, is driven by the level of nonresidential construction activity in the United States; (7) impairment in the recorded value of inventory, equity investments, fixed assets, goodwill or other long-lived assets; (8) uncertainties and volatility surrounding the global economy, including excess world capacity for steel production, inflation and interest rate changes; (9) fluctuations in currency conversion rates; (10) significant changes in laws or government regulations affecting environmental compliance, including legislation and regulations that result in greater regulation of greenhouse gas emissions that could increase our energy costs, capital expenditures and operating costs or cause one or more of our permits to be revoked or make it more difficult to obtain permit modifications; (11) the cyclical nature of the steel industry; (12) capital investments and their impact on our performance; (13) our safety performance; (14) our ability to integrate businesses we acquire; and (15) the impact of any pandemic or public health situation. These and other factors are discussed in Nucor's regulatory filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including those in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of Nucor's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of this date, and Nucor does not assume any obligation to update them, except as may be required by applicable law.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nucor-announces-guidance-for-the-third-quarter-of-2025-earnings-302559698.html

SOURCE Nucor Corporation

FAQ

What is Nucor's earnings guidance for Q3 2025?

Nucor expects earnings of $2.05 to $2.15 per diluted share for Q3 2025, compared to $2.60 in Q2 2025 and $1.05 in Q3 2024.

How much has Nucor (NYSE: NUE) returned to shareholders in 2025?

Nucor has returned approximately $985 million to stockholders through share repurchases and dividend payments year-to-date.

Why are Nucor's Q3 2025 earnings expected to decrease?

Earnings are expected to decrease due to lower volumes and margin compression in steel mills, higher costs in steel products, and lower profitability in scrap processing operations.

How many shares has Nucor repurchased in Q3 2025?

Nucor has repurchased 0.7 million shares at an average price of $140.46 during Q3 2025, and 4.8 million shares year-to-date at an average of $126.26 per share.

When will Nucor release its Q3 2025 earnings report?

Nucor will release its Q3 2025 earnings after markets close on Monday, October 27, 2025, with a conference call on Tuesday, October 28, at 10:00 a.m. ET.