NUE vs BCPC vs STLD Stock Comparison

Nucor, Balchem and Steel Dynamics Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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NUE Nucor Corp
$258.10 +4.4% 1M +86.4% 1Y
Market cap
$58.78B
P/E
20.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$36.10B
Div. yield
0.01%
Steel Basic Materials
3 wins
BCPC Balchem Corp
$177.00 +5.2% 1M +12.9% 1Y
Market cap
$5.40B
P/E
31.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.11B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
4 wins
STLD Steel Dynamics Inc
$241.53 +3.1% 1M +60.3% 1Y
Market cap
$34.00B
P/E
17.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$22.22B
Div. yield
0.01%
Steel Basic Materials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Steel Dynamics leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Steel Dynamics 5, Balchem 4, Nucor 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionNUEBCPCSTLDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $58.78B $5.40B $34.00B NUE
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.4x 31.6x 17.4x STLD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 12.9x 34.6x 14.1x NUE
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.2% +9.4% +26.0% STLD
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.0% 15.4% 8.8% BCPC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.0% 12.1% 14.6% STLD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 0.3x 1.0x BCPC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.01% STLD
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +86.4% +12.9% +60.3% NUE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +20.3%/yr +2.7%/yr +30.7%/yr STLD
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.8% 20.4% 36.0% BCPC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 66/100 58/100 BCPC

Percentile Scorecard

NUEBCPCSTLD

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisNUEBCPCSTLD
Valuation 74 #43 of 162 31 #65 of 94 67 #54 of 162
Growth 51 #73 of 147 86 #14 of 92 52 #71 of 147
Profitability 65 #43 of 122 85 #14 of 89 65 #44 of 122
Financial Health 40 #100 of 166 89 #12 of 97 37 #105 of 166
Shareholder Returns 47 #57 of 107 39 #43 of 70 67 #36 of 107
Overall 55 66 58
  • NUE ranked among 176 companies in Metals and Mining
  • BCPC ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • STLD ranked among 176 companies in Metals and Mining

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodNUEBCPCSTLDSPY
1 month +4.4%+5.2%+3.1% -1.0%
3 months +4.2%+8.7%-2.3% +2.9%
6 months +20.4%+1.9%+6.5% +6.4%
Year to date +58.2%+15.4%+42.5% +11.4%
1 year +86.4%+12.9%+60.3% +13.1%
3 years +75.4%+45.5%+137.7% +79.4%
3 years, per year +20.6%+13.3%+33.5% +21.5%
5 years +152.2%+14.4%+280.4% +67.7%
5 years, per year +20.3%+2.7%+30.7% +10.9%
10 years +439.2%+133.0%+816.6% +255.2%
10 years, per year +18.4%+8.8%+24.8% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureNUEBCPCSTLDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.8%20.4%36.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.0%18.7%36.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.900.151.07 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.720.631.67 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -48.6%-34.1%-32.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.0%-3.4%-14.6% -2.5%
52-week high $274.65$183.26$282.76 $779.14
52-week low $138.45$147.36$150.72 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleNUEBCPCSTLD
P/E now vs peer median 20.4xmedian 12.7x 32.8xmedian 21.5x 17.7xmedian 12.7x
P/S now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 3.1x 5.1xmedian 1.4x 1.5xmedian 3.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 11.1xmedian 6.9x 20.5xmedian 12.4x 11.7xmedian 6.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 37.0xmedian 15.1x 31.6xmedian 15.5x 31.4xmedian 15.1x
P/B now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 2.1x 4.2xmedian 1.6x 3.5xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median -1.19median 0.27 1.75median 1.70 -3.18median 0.27

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsNUEBCPCSTLD
Revenue $36.10B $1.11B $22.22B
Gross profit $5.59B $404.38M $3.53B
Operating income $4.17B $229.57M $2.56B
Net income $3.26B $170.85M $1.95B
Free cash flow $1.58B $178.00M $1.09B
R&D – $20.81M –
EPS (diluted) $12.62 $5.33 $13.58
Cash & equivalents $2.48B $66.26M $928.56M
Total debt $28.20B $696.62M $4.20B
Shares (diluted) 228.50M 32.03M 143.62M
Enterprise value $48.16B $5.12B $30.81B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricNUEBCPCSTLD
P/E 20.4x 32.8x 17.7x
P/FCF 37.0x 31.6x 31.4x
P/Operating cash flow 13.2x 25.2x 20.3x
P/S 1.6x 5.1x 1.5x
P/B 2.5x 4.2x 3.5x
P/Tangible book 2.9x 4.7x 3.6x
EV/EBITDA 11.1x 20.5x 11.7x
EV/EBIT 15.1x 24.9x 14.7x
EV/Revenue 1.7x 5.2x 1.7x
EV/FCF 39.8x 32.1x 34.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.2x 25.5x 22.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.19 1.75 -3.18

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNUEBCPCSTLD
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.2% 9.4% 26.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -1.2% 6.2% 4.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 73.8% 11.4% 53.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -16.1% 11.0% -6.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 94.4% 12.3% 82.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -18.5% 14.2% -9.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 106.1% 14.5% 72.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -18.2% 18.3% -10.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 124.8% 16.5% 77.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -17.1% 18.8% -5.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 41.3% 11.0% 11.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -19.5% 12.3% -23.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 511.2% 10.1% 252.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -37.3% 14.8% -22.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNUEBCPCSTLD
Gross margin 15.5% 36.5% 15.9%
EBITDA margin 15.7% 25.1% 14.4%
Operating margin 11.5% 20.7% 11.5%
Pretax margin 11.4% 19.9% 11.2%
Net margin 8.0% 15.4% 8.8%
FCF margin 4.4% 16.1% 4.9%
Operating cash flow margin 12.3% 20.2% 7.6%
Return on equity 14.2% 13.0% 20.5%
Return on assets 9.0% 10.1% 11.2%
Return on invested capital 11.0% 12.1% 14.6%
Return on capital employed 13.4% 15.0% 17.1%
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.7x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.3x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 1.8% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNUEBCPCSTLD
Debt / assets 19.2% 8.6% 23.6%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.1x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 0.3x 1.0x
Debt / FCF 4.5x 0.8x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 37.0% 22.1% 44.8%
Equity / assets 63.0% 77.9% 55.2%
Interest coverage 28.7x – 18.4x
Current ratio 2.5x 2.5x 3.1x
Quick ratio 1.3x 1.3x 1.4x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.4x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 5.43 11.26 6.02

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNUEBCPCSTLD
Dividend yield 0.9% 0.5% 0.9%
Net buyback yield 1.1% 2.0% 2.4%
Shareholder yield 2.0% 2.5% 3.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 15.7% – 15.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) 32.3% – 27.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) -0.8% – 3.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -0.6% – 4.4%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusNUEBCPCSTLD
Forward P/E 12.9xFY2026 34.6xFY2026 14.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.03FY2026 $5.11FY2026 $17.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +159.8%FY2026 +7.6%FY2026 +114.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.5% +7.2% +19.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $39.95BFY2026 $1.07BFY2026 $22.75BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +22.9%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026 +25.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.6% +9.7% +15.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNUEBCPCSTLD
Held by institutions 79.2% 90.5% 82.7%
Institutions holding 1,541 417 1,022
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.2% +1.5% +1.2%
Institutions buying 751 193 501
Institutions selling 516 162 370
Buyers to sellers 1.46 1.19 1.35

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

NUEBCPCSTLD
NUE 1.00 0.18 0.88
BCPC 0.18 1.00 0.18
STLD 0.88 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NUE, BCPC and STLD?

Nucor (NUE) is the largest by market capitalisation: Nucor (NUE) $58.78B, Balchem (BCPC) $5.40B, Steel Dynamics (STLD) $34.00B.

Which stock is cheaper, NUE, BCPC and STLD?

Steel Dynamics (STLD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Nucor (NUE) 20.4x, Balchem (BCPC) 31.6x, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 17.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nucor (NUE) is cheapest (Nucor (NUE) 12.9x, Balchem (BCPC) 34.6x, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 14.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Steel Dynamics (STLD) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Nucor (NUE) +17.2%, Balchem (BCPC) +9.4%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) +26.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Balchem (BCPC) has the highest net margin (Nucor (NUE) 8.0%, Balchem (BCPC) 15.4%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 8.8%). On return on invested capital, Steel Dynamics (STLD) leads (Nucor (NUE) 11.0%, Balchem (BCPC) 12.1%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 14.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nucor (NUE) returned the most: Nucor (NUE) +86.4%, Balchem (BCPC) +12.9%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) +60.3%. Over five years, Steel Dynamics (STLD) compounded fastest (Nucor (NUE) +20.3%/yr, Balchem (BCPC) +2.7%/yr, Steel Dynamics (STLD) +30.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Steel Dynamics (STLD) has the highest dividend yield: Nucor (NUE) 0.01%, Balchem (BCPC) 0.00%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 0.01%. Balchem (BCPC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Balchem (BCPC) has been the steadiest (Nucor (NUE) 31.8%, Balchem (BCPC) 20.4%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 36.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NUE, BCPC and STLD?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Steel Dynamics (STLD) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.