CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) today announced guidance for its second quarter ending July 4, 2026. Nucor expects second quarter earnings to be in the range of $4.70 to $4.80 per diluted share. Excluding a non-cash benefit of approximately $0.20 per diluted share, described below, we expect second quarter adjusted earnings to be in the range of $4.50 to $4.60. Nucor reported net earnings of $3.23 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2026 and $2.60 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2025.

Non-Cash Benefit Recorded in the Second Quarter of 2026
Included in the second quarter of 2026 non-adjusted guidance range is an estimated benefit of approximately $61 million, or $0.20 per diluted share. This non-cash benefit is related to the increase in the value of our investment in Helion, a fusion energy company, after it completed a capital financing round in the second quarter of 2026.

Second Quarter of 2026 Outlook Compared to the First Quarter of 2026
Earnings in the second quarter of 2026 are expected to increase across all three of our operating segments as compared to the first quarter of 2026, with the largest increase in the steel mills segment. The expected increase in the steel mills segment is due to higher average selling prices and stable volumes. It also reflects approximately $130 million of cash refunds associated with prior periods' raw materials procurement costs, which will benefit the cost of goods sold for this segment during the quarter. In the steel products segment, we expect higher earnings due to increased volumes and slightly higher average realized pricing. The raw materials segment is expected to have higher earnings due to higher average realized prices. 

Capital Returns
As of June 17, 2026, Nucor has repurchased approximately 1.12 million shares at an average price of $223.47 per share thus far in the second quarter of 2026. Nucor has returned approximately $630 million to stockholders in the form of share repurchases and dividend payments year-to-date through June 17, 2026.

Second Quarter of 2026 Earnings Release and Conference Call
Nucor plans to release its earnings after the markets close on Monday, July 27, 2026, and will host a conference call the morning of Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to review the Company's second 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.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The Company uses certain non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) financial measures in this news release, including adjusted net earnings per diluted share (and expected guidance range thereof). Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance or financial position that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

We define adjusted net earnings per diluted share (and expected guidance range thereof) as the net earnings per diluted share subtracting the per diluted share impact of a certain non-cash benefit, net of tax. Please note that other companies might define their non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do.

Management presents the non-GAAP financial measure of adjusted net earnings per diluted share in this news release because it considers it to be an important supplemental measure of performance. Management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides additional insight for analysts and investors evaluating the Company's financial and operational performance by providing a consistent basis of comparison across periods.

Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Earnings Per Diluted Share (Unaudited)

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, 2025. 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-second-quarter-of-2026-earnings-302803511.html

SOURCE Nucor Corporation