NUCOR Corporation is a U.S.-focused steel producer and metals recycler with a generally conservative balance sheet and a history of compounding shareholder equity.
Key fundamentals to watch are trailing operating cash flow (currently $3.23B) and the scale of investing cash outflows (currently -$3.73B) as indicators of free cash generation and capital allocation (Strategic Capital Allocation), quarterly revenue and net income trends (most recent quarter: $10.50B revenue and $249.9M net income) for margin trajectory (Revenue & Net Income), and ROE and book value growth (ROE ~24.99%; book value CAGR 14.52%) to assess whether historical returns and equity compounding persist (Return on Equity (ROE), Revenue & EPS Growth).
The foundation of business quality and long-term value creation
NUCOR CORP's reported quarterly revenue in the available data clusters around the $10 billion range in the most recent reported periods, with a recorded revenue of $10.50B for the quarter ending 2022-10-01 compared with $10.31B for the quarter ending 2021-10-02. Earlier quarters show wider variability (including a $14.11B entry in 2013), but the most recent revenue observations indicate relative stability near $10B.
Net income shows a pronounced inflection in 2021, with a peak quarterly net income of $2.13B for the period ending 2021-10-02 followed by declines in subsequent quarters (for example $1.51B on 2021-07-03 and $942.4M on 2021-04-03) down to lower levels in later years; the most recent reported quarter, period ending 2024-09-28, records net income of $249.9M. The most recent quarterly revenue was $10.50B. The most recent quarterly net income was $249.9M.
Why Growth Matters
Consistent revenue and earnings growth are the lifeblood of successful long-term investments. Companies that can grow their top line (revenue) and bottom line (net income) over many years demonstrate they have products or services customers value and are willing to pay for repeatedly.
Revenue Growth shows whether the company is expanding its market reach, gaining market share, or successfully launching new products.Net Income Growth demonstrates the company can convert that revenue into actual profits while managing costs effectively.
Look for steady, sustainable growth rather than erratic spikes. The best businesses compound earnings year after year, creating tremendous value for shareholders over time. Companies that can grow earnings faster than revenue are improving their profitability—a sign of operational excellence and competitive strength.
Year-over-year growth rates for revenue and earnings per share
Reading the Growth Rate Chart
This chart converts the absolute per-share figures into year-over-year percentage changes, making it easy to see whether growth is accelerating, decelerating, or reverting to trend — regardless of the company's absolute size.
Revenue per Share Growth (1-year, split-adjusted) measures how quickly the top line is expanding on a per-share basis. Sustained positive growth signals that the company continues to win customers and grow its addressable market.EPS Diluted Growth (1-year, split-adjusted) measures how quickly earnings are compounding for each shareholder. When EPS growth consistently outpaces revenue growth, operating leverage and margin expansion are at work.
Look for consistency, not just magnitude. A company that reliably grows EPS 10–15% per year is far more valuable than one that alternates between 50% spikes and deep contractions. Negative EPS growth during a period of positive revenue growth is a red flag — costs are rising faster than sales. Quarters where both lines converge near zero or go negative deserve close scrutiny.
How revenue converts to net income for the most recent annual period
Over the period Jan 2018 to Dec 2018, Nucor Corp generates $15.59B in revenue. The waterfall below shows how revenue flows through various expense categories.
Period Information
Report Type: Annual (10-K)
Period: Jan 2018 to Dec 2018
Analyzing long-term margin stability and competitive positioning
NUCOR CORP’s reported net profit margin rose from 0.8% at the end of 2010 to a peak of 3.9% at the end of 2011, then declined to 2.6% in 2012 and held at 2.6% through 2013. In 2014 the margin dipped to 2.2% in the quarter ending 2014-07-05 before edging higher in the most recent quarter.
The series shows a pronounced improvement through 2011 followed by a step down and relative stability around the mid-2% range since 2012, with a modest recovery in late 2014. The most recent Net Profit Margin (period ending 2014-10-04) was 2.5%.
Understanding Profit Margins
Between Jan 2018 and Dec 2018, Nucor Corp converts every dollar of revenue through the following stages:
Sustainable competitive advantages reveal themselves through consistently superior profit margins over extended periods. Companies with durable economic moats maintain pricing power and operational efficiency that competitors struggle to match.
A sign of durable competitive advantage is earning sustained higher margins than competitors.Look for margins that remain stable or improve over time, especially during economic downturns. Declining margins may signal increasing competition, pricing pressure, or deteriorating business fundamentals.
Comparing reported earnings to actual cash generation
NUCOR CORP's operating cash flow (TTM) shows a pronounced rise into 2022 followed by a multi-year decline: operating cash flow increased from recurring low‑to‑mid single‑billion levels in the 2010s to a peak of $10.07B at 2022-12-31, then fell to $3.98B at 2024-12-31 and further to $3.23B at 2025-12-31. Net income (TTM) in the available series increased into 2021, moving from $721.5M at 2020-12-31 to $1.66B at 2021-04-03 and $3.06B at 2021-07-03, with prior years generally showing sub‑$1.3B results.
Notable inflection points in the record are the sharp operating cash flow peak at 2022-12-31 and the subsequent decline through 2024 and 2025, and the step-up in reported net income through mid‑2021. The most recent Operating Cash Flow (TTM) observation is $3.23B (period ending 2025-12-31). The most recent Net Income (TTM) observation is $3.06B (period ending 2021-07-03).
The Earnings vs. Cash Flow Gap
Reported earnings (Net Income) doesn't always reflect actual cash generation. Companies use accrual accounting, which recognizes revenue when earned and expenses when incurred—not when cash actually changes hands. This creates timing differences and opportunities for accounting discretion that can mask underlying business health.
Net Income (the "earnings" number) can be influenced by non-cash items like depreciation, stock-based compensation, and changes in accounting estimates.Operating Cash Flow, however, shows the actual cash the business generates from its core operations—a harder number to manipulate.
Trailing Twelve Months
What to Look For
Key Insight: Companies with durable competitive advantages typically show operating cash flow that meets or exceeds net income over time, demonstrating they convert accounting profits into actual cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested in the business.
Measuring management's efficiency at generating profits from shareholder capital
NUCOR CORP's trailing twelve‑month return on equity shows a long period of relatively low-to-moderate returns through the early 2010s (1.8% in 2010, rising into the 6–10% range by 2013–2016) with a pickup into the low‑teens by mid‑2017 (14.3%). From 2014 through 2017 the series trended gradually higher from roughly 8% to the mid‑teens.
More recently, ROE fell to 6.4% at the 2020‑12‑31 period-end, then rose sharply across the next two reported quarters to 14.5% at 2021‑04‑03 and 25.0% at 2021‑07‑03, representing a marked inflection upward in the most recent data. The most recent trailing twelve‑month ROE observed was 25.0% (period end 2021-07-03).
The Gold Standard of Profitability
Return on Equity (ROE) is a powerful measure of how effectively a company's management is using the money shareholders have invested. Calculated by dividing Net Income by Shareholders' Equity, it reveals how much profit is generated for every dollar of equity capital.
A consistently high ROE (typically above 15-20%) is often the signature of a "quality" business with a durable competitive advantage. It indicates that the company can generate high returns on its own capital, which it can then reinvest at these high rates to compound value over time.
What to Look For:
How the company generates and deploys its cash
NUCOR CORP's operating cash flow on a trailing‑twelve‑month basis has declined materially from a peak of $10.07B (2022 TTM) to $3.98B (2024 TTM) and most recently to $3.23B (2025 TTM), with the most recent data showing the downward shift concentrated over the last several reported TTM periods.
Investing cash flow (TTM) shows a significant net outflow in the latest available investing period, with -$3.73B reported for the 2024 TTM, larger in magnitude than earlier investing outflows that were generally in the hundreds of millions to low billions. Financing cash flow (TTM) has been persistently negative in recent years, with -$3.06B for the 2024 TTM following -$3.24B in 2023 and -$2.51B in 2022, indicating consistent net cash used in financing activities over that span.
Understanding Company Strategy
Capital allocation refers to how management decides to spend and invest the company's cash. Analyzing the three primary categories of cash flow reveals a company's true operational strategy:
What to look for: Is the company bootstrapping (funding growth solely from operating cash)? Are they borrowing to fund aggressive expansion or dividends? Or are they capital raising by issuing new shares, potentially diluting your ownership? A healthy, mature company typically generates strong operating cash, moderately invests in growth, and returns the surplus to shareholders through financing activities.
Trailing Twelve Months
Net assets attributable to each share — the accounting floor of intrinsic value
Why Book Value per Share Matters
Book value per share is the net worth of the company — total assets minus total liabilities — divided by shares outstanding (split-adjusted). It represents the theoretical liquidation value per share if every asset were sold and every liability repaid at balance-sheet carrying values. It is the accounting foundation upon which much of equity valuation is built.
A steadily rising book value per share is one of the most reliable signals of compounding wealth creation. It means the company is retaining earnings and building net worth faster than it is returning capital or eroding it. Warren Buffett famously tracked Berkshire Hathaway's book value per share for decades as his primary measure of intrinsic value growth.
Context is essential. Asset-heavy businesses (banks, manufacturers, utilities) should be judged by book value more directly than asset-light businesses (software, consumer brands), where intangible assets like intellectual property and customer loyalty may far exceed their balance-sheet carrying values. A company trading at a large premium to book value is not necessarily overvalued — it may simply possess competitive advantages that accounting rules do not capture. Conversely, a declining book value per share — especially over multiple years — is a serious warning sign of capital destruction.
How much of the company is financed by debt versus shareholders' equity
Reading the Debt-to-Equity Ratio
The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio compares total financial debt to shareholders' equity. A ratio of 1.0 means the company has borrowed one dollar for every dollar of equity; a ratio of 2.0 means it has borrowed twice as much as it owns. Financial leverage amplifies both returns and risk: in good times, debt turbocharges equity returns; in bad times, it accelerates losses and can threaten solvency.
Trends matter more than a single number. A rising D/E ratio can mean the company is taking on debt to fund growth — potentially value-creating if returns exceed the cost of capital. But it can also mean equity is being eroded through losses or that the business is borrowing simply to sustain operations. A falling D/E ratio generally reflects strengthening financial health: earnings are being retained, debt maturities are being paid down, or both.
Industry norms vary enormously. Capital-intensive sectors (utilities, real estate, financials) routinely carry high D/E ratios that would be alarming in, say, a technology company. Always compare against sector peers. As a rough rule of thumb, a D/E above 2× in a cyclical business warrants careful scrutiny of interest coverage and refinancing risk.
Short-term liquidity — can the company cover its near-term obligations?
Liquidity: Can the Business Pay Its Bills?
The current ratio is calculated as current assets divided by current liabilities. A ratio of 1.5 means the company has $1.50 of short-term assets — cash, receivables, inventory — for every $1.00 of obligations due within the next twelve months. It is the most direct measure of near-term financial resilience: can the business meet its obligations without needing to raise new capital or sell long-term assets at a discount?
A ratio above 1.0 is generally healthy, meaning current assets exceed current liabilities. A ratio consistently above 2.0 may indicate the company is holding excess cash or inventory that could be deployed more productively. A ratio below 1.0 is a warning sign — the company is relying on future cash generation or external financing to cover its near-term obligations, which is manageable in normal conditions but dangerous during a downturn.
Trends and context matter.A declining current ratio isn't always alarming — highly efficient businesses (e.g., large retailers with reliable daily cash flows) often run leaner balance sheets intentionally. Conversely, a rapidly rising current ratio can signal slowing sales causing inventory to build, or customers taking longer to pay. Always compare the trend against industry peers and cross-reference with the cash flow statement to assess whether the business is genuinely liquid or just holding non-cash current assets.
How much the market is paying for each dollar of company earnings
What Is the PE Ratio?
The Price-to-Earnings (PE) ratio is one of the most widely used valuation metrics in investing. It divides the current stock price by the company's earnings per share (EPS), revealing how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings. A high PE can signal that the market expects strong future growth, while a low PE may suggest undervaluation—or reflect genuine concerns about the company's prospects.
Context matters:PE ratios vary significantly across industries. High-growth technology companies routinely trade at PE ratios above 30x or 40x, while mature, low-growth sectors like utilities or financials often trade closer to 10–15x. Always compare a company's PE to its own history and its industry peers, not just an absolute number.
What to Look For:
Key Insight:The PE ratio is a snapshot of market sentiment and expectations. Tracking it over time alongside earnings trends reveals whether the market's valuation has expanded or contracted—and whether that change is justified by fundamentals.