Nucor Announces Guidance for Second Quarter of 2019 Earnings

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Jun 17, 2019, 09:00 ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) today announced guidance for its second quarter ending June 29, 2019. Nucor expects second quarter earnings to be in the range of $1.20 to $1.25 per diluted share. This range is a decrease compared to first quarter of 2019 earnings of $1.63 per diluted share and a decrease relative to second quarter of 2018 earnings of $2.13 per diluted share.

Included in the first quarter of 2019 results was a benefit of $33.7 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, related to the gain on the sale of an equity method investment in the raw materials segment.

Included in the second quarter of 2018 results was a benefit of $23.3 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, related to insurance recoveries.

Most end-use markets remain strong or stable; market dynamics are keeping many customers on sidelines

The performance of the steel mills segment in the second quarter of 2019 is expected to decrease compared to the first quarter of 2019 as service center destocking is impacting order rates. Increased domestic supply and a declining scrap price environment have led to aggressive inventory management by our customers. We still see stability in most of the end use markets that we serve, with some softening in automotive.

The profitability of the steel products segment in the second quarter of 2019 is expected to improve as compared to the first quarter of 2019, as typical seasonal patterns and improved weather conditions have benefited nonresidential construction markets.

The performance of the raw materials segment is expected to decrease in the second quarter of 2019 as compared to the first quarter of 2019 due to further margin compression in the Company's DRI businesses. Our DRI facility in Trinidad began a planned 25 day outage in June.

About Nucor

Nucor and its affiliates are manufacturers of steel and steel products, with operating facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Products produced include: carbon and alloy steel -- in bars, beams, sheet and plate; hollow structural section tubing; electrical conduit; steel piling; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; precision castings; steel fasteners; metal building systems; steel grating; and wire and wire mesh. Nucor, through The David J. Joseph Company, 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. The words "believe," "expect," "project," "will," "should," "could" and similar expressions are intended to identify those forward-looking statements. 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 competition 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 prevailing steel prices and changes in the supply and cost of raw materials, including scrap steel; (4) market demand for steel products; and (5) energy costs and availability. These and other factors are discussed in Nucor's regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those in Nucor's 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Item 1A. Risk Factors. 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.

SOURCE Nucor Corporation