Is NUE or STLD cheaper?

On trailing earnings, NUE is cheaper: NUE trades at a 22.44 P/E and STLD at 24.49.

Which has grown faster, NUE or STLD?

Over the past five years, STLD grew revenue faster — NUE at a 9.67% CAGR versus STLD at 12.46%.

Does NUE or STLD pay a bigger dividend?

NUE yields 0.99% and STLD yields 0.93% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is NUE or STLD more profitable?

STLD runs the higher net margin — NUE at 6.82% versus STLD at 7.22%.

Which has been the better investment, NUE or STLD?

Over the past 10-year, STLD delivered the higher annualized total return — NUE at 18.13% versus STLD at 26.45%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Nucor Corporation (NUE) vs Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD)

NUE leads on 8 of 15 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Nucor Corporation and Steel Dynamics, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 9, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

NUE

Nucor Corporation

$50.62B

$222.28Basic Materials

STLD

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

$32.02B

$222.06Basic Materials

Total return — NUE vs STLD

growth of $100 · last 30y

NUE +1639.7%STLD +4809.0%STLD compounded faster

NUE STLD

NUE vs STLD: by the numbers

•NUE is the larger company ($50.62B vs $32.02B market cap).
•NUE trades at the lower earnings multiple (22.44 vs 24.49 P/E).
•STLD converts more revenue to profit (7.22% vs 6.82% net margin).
•STLD grew revenue faster over the past five years (12.46% vs 9.67% CAGR).
•NUE pays the higher dividend yield (0.99% vs 0.93%).

Which is better, NUE or STLD?

Metric tally: NUE 8 · STLD 7

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueNUE(lower P/E)

GrowthSTLD(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeNUE(higher dividend yield)

QualitySTLD(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	NUE	STLD
P/E ratio	22.44●	24.49
Forward P/E	14.25	14.09
P/S ratio	1.52●	1.74
P/B ratio	2.42●	3.61
PEG ratio	0.86●	0.97
EV / EBITDA	11.69●	15.54
FCF yield	1.02%	2.01%●

Profitability

Metric	NUE	STLD
Gross margin	13.98%	14.00%
Operating margin	10.04%●	9.41%
Net margin	6.82%	7.22%●
ROE	10.87%	14.97%●
ROIC	6.74%	8.19%●

Dividends

Metric	NUE	STLD
Dividend yield	0.99%●	0.93%
Payout ratio	29.75%	26.43%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	NUE	STLD
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.67%	12.46%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	26.02%●	25.18%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-19.62%	19.91%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	21.12%	32.69%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, NUE or STLD?: It depends on your goal. value: NUE (lower P/E); growth: STLD (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: NUE (higher dividend yield); quality: STLD (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, NUE leads 8 to 7.
Is NUE or STLD cheaper?: On trailing earnings, NUE is cheaper: NUE trades at a 22.44 P/E and STLD at 24.49.
Which has grown faster, NUE or STLD?: Over the past five years, STLD grew revenue faster — NUE at a 9.67% CAGR versus STLD at 12.46%.
Does NUE or STLD pay a bigger dividend?: NUE yields 0.99% and STLD yields 0.93% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is NUE or STLD more profitable?: STLD runs the higher net margin — NUE at 6.82% versus STLD at 7.22%.
Which has been the better investment, NUE or STLD?: Over the past 10-year, STLD delivered the higher annualized total return — NUE at 18.13% versus STLD at 26.45%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full NUE analysis Full STLD analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Nucor P/E ratio Steel Dynamics P/E ratio Nucor dividend yield Steel Dynamics dividend yield Nucor ROE Steel Dynamics ROE Nucor operating margin Steel Dynamics operating margin Nucor revenue growth Steel Dynamics revenue growth Nucor free cash flow Steel Dynamics free cash flow

Nucor & Steel Dynamics appear in these rankings

Dividend Aristocrats Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified July 9, 2026.