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NUE vs. RGLD: Nucor vs. Royal Gold Stock Comparison

How do Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though NUE is classified under Steel while RGLD falls under Gold.

Company profile comparison for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
Profile ItemNUERGLD
NameNucor CorporationRoyal Gold, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryMetals & MiningMetals & Mining
GICS Sub-IndustrySteelGold
Market Capitalization55.58 billion USD22.47 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980June 9, 1981
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NUE
RGLD
GSPC
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
MetricNUERGLD
Total Return (1Y)74.82%60.60%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)19.83%39.65%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)18.79%23.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NUE
RGLD
GSPC
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Nucor (NUE) has an aggressive beta of 1.82, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Royal Gold (RGLD) is defensive at 0.39 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
MetricNUERGLD
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)32.37%41.91%
Beta (5Y)1.820.39
Max Drawdown (5Y)-47.79%-40.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.37M667.01K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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NUE and RGLD are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
MetricNUERGLD
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.181.34
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.282.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 17.58% and Royal Gold (RGLD) at 15.03% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

NUE

Materials industry group

17.58%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
NUE
17.58%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%

RGLD

Materials industry group

15.03%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
RGLD
15.03%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Royal Gold (RGLD) at 47.99% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Nucor (NUE) at 9.26% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

NUE

Materials industry group

9.26%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
NUE
9.26%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%

RGLD

Materials industry group

47.99%

RGLD
47.99%
Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Royal Gold (RGLD) at 65.85% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Nucor (NUE) at 16.73%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

NUE

Materials industry group

16.73%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
NUE
16.73%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%

RGLD

Materials industry group

65.85%

Max
66.70%
RGLD
65.85%
Q3
28.92%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
MetricNUERGLD
ROE (TTM)17.58%15.03%
ROA (TTM)8.82%9.97%
Net Margin (TTM)9.26%47.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.73%65.85%
Gross Margin (TTM)17.39%86.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Royal Gold (RGLD) at 43.24% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Nucor (NUE) at 5.73% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RGLD.

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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Nucor (NUE) at -11.11% and Royal Gold (RGLD) at 32.74% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
MetricNUERGLD
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.73%43.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-7.84%19.54%
EPS Growth (YoY)-11.11%32.74%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-36.08%22.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 2.46 and Royal Gold (RGLD) at 2.40 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

NUE

Materials industry group

2.46

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
NUE
2.46
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16

RGLD

Materials industry group

2.40

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
RGLD
2.40
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Royal Gold (RGLD) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Nucor (NUE) at 0.29 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

NUE

Materials industry group

0.29

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
NUE
0.29
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00

RGLD

Materials industry group

0.02

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
RGLD
0.02
Min
0.00
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
MetricNUERGLD
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.462.40
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.290.02
Net Debt / EBITDA0.52-0.03

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 0.91% and Royal Gold (RGLD) at 0.74% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

NUE

Materials industry group

0.91%

Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
NUE
0.91%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RGLD

Materials industry group

0.74%

Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
RGLD
0.74%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 17.78% and Royal Gold (RGLD) at 19.41% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

NUE

Materials industry group

17.78%

Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
NUE
17.78%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RGLD

Materials industry group

19.41%

Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
RGLD
19.41%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
MetricNUERGLD
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.91%0.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)17.78%19.41%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 15.60 and Royal Gold (RGLD) at 27.15 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

NUE

Materials industry group

15.60

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
NUE
15.60
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93

RGLD

Materials industry group

27.15

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
RGLD
27.15
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Nucor (NUE) at 1.43 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Royal Gold (RGLD) at 12.86 clears its benchmark range — RGLD looks notably rich on sales.

NUE

Materials industry group

1.43

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
NUE
1.43
Q1
0.73
Min
0.00

RGLD

Materials industry group

12.86

RGLD
12.86
Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
Min
0.00
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Nucor (NUE) at 2.43 and Royal Gold (RGLD) at 2.91 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

NUE

Materials industry group

2.43

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
NUE
2.43
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17

RGLD

Materials industry group

2.91

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
RGLD
2.91
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Nucor (NUE) vs. Royal Gold (RGLD): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Royal Gold (RGLD)
MetricNUERGLD
P/E Ratio (TTM)15.6027.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.4312.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.432.91
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.77%4.24%