Nucor Q4 Profit Increases - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Steel and steel products maker Nucor Corp. (NUE) reported that its net earnings attributable to stockholders for the fourth quarter of 2014 increased to $210.4 million or $0.65 per share, from $170.5 million or $0.53 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The results included a credit of $57.3 million for the fourth quarter 2014 to value inventories using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method of accounting.

Net sales were $5.00 billion up 2% from $4.89 billion last year.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of $0.55 per share and revenues of $5.38 billion for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company currently expects that first quarter of 2015 earnings will decrease from the fourth quarter of 2014 to a level slightly exceeding the first quarter of 2014. Market conditions in the steel mills segment in the first quarter of 2015 will be impacted by challenges in energy markets due to customer inventory reductions caused by the recent collapse in oil prices.