Nucor announced a strong second-quarter profit outlook
Steel stock Nucor Corp (NYSE:NUE) is on the rise today, last seen up 4.9% to trade at $128.15. The company announced a strong second-quarter profit forecast, expecting earnings between $2.55 and $2.65 per share. Though the numbers represent a small decline from the $2.68 reported in the same quarter a year ago, they were still above analyst estimates of $2.36 per share.
Today's pop has Nucor stock trading at its highest levels since March. The shares are now grappling with resistance at their 160-day trendline, which kept a tight lid on a mid-February rally and has been cleared on a closing basis only once in the last 12 months. Since the start of 2025, NUE is up roughly 8%.
Nucor's typically quiet options pits are seeing a surge in call volume today. The 5,095 calls exchanged so far represents quadruple the volume typically seen at this point. The June 140 call is the most popular, followed by the July 130 call.
Premiums are reasonably priced at the moment, too. NUE's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 38% that sits higher than 26% of annual readings, suggesting these traders are currently pricing low volatility expectations.