NUE vs. SCCO: Nucor vs. Southern Copper Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO) 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 Southern Copper (SCCO) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though NUE is classified under Steel while SCCO falls under Copper.

Company profile comparison for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Profile Item	NUE	SCCO
Name	Nucor Corporation	Southern Copper Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Steel	Copper
Market Capitalization	55.58 billion USD	142.73 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	January 5, 1996
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NUE

SCCO

GSPC

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO), 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 Southern Copper (SCCO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	NUE	SCCO
Total Return (1Y)	74.82%	38.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	19.83%	42.97%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	18.79%	30.79%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NUE

SCCO

GSPC

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO), 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 Southern Copper (SCCO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	NUE	SCCO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	32.37%	52.64%
Beta (5Y)	1.82	1.15
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-43.07%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.37M	1.14M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

NUE and SCCO 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 Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	NUE	SCCO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	2.18	0.65
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	3.28	0.95

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 52.88% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Nucor (NUE) at 17.58% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for SCCO.

NUE

Materials industry group

17.58%

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

SCCO

Materials industry group

52.88%

SCCO: 52.88%
Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 37.16% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Nucor (NUE) at 9.26%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

NUE

Materials industry group

9.26%

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

SCCO

Materials industry group

37.16%

Max: 38.66%
SCCO: 37.16%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 59.94% 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%

SCCO

Materials industry group

59.94%

Max: 66.70%
SCCO: 59.94%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	NUE	SCCO
ROE (TTM)	17.58%	52.88%
ROA (TTM)	8.82%	27.29%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.26%	37.16%
Operating Margin (TTM)	16.73%	59.94%
Gross Margin (TTM)	17.39%	65.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Nucor (NUE) at 5.73% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 17.38% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Nucor (NUE) at -11.11% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 25.41% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	NUE	SCCO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.73%	17.38%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-7.84%	10.13%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-11.11%	25.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-36.08%	17.64%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Nucor (NUE) at 2.46 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 4.31 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets 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

SCCO

Materials industry group

4.31

Max: 5.96
SCCO: 4.31
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 0.29 and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 0.63 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

NUE

Materials industry group

0.29

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

SCCO

Materials industry group

0.63

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
SCCO: 0.63
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	NUE	SCCO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.46	4.31
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.29	0.63
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.52	0.05

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 2.30% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Nucor (NUE) at 0.91% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SCCO the richer one.

NUE

Materials industry group

0.91%

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

SCCO

Materials industry group

2.30%

Max: 4.52%
SCCO: 2.30%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Nucor (NUE) at 17.78% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 52.43% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

NUE

Materials industry group

17.78%

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

SCCO

Materials industry group

52.43%

Max: 83.62%
SCCO: 52.43%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	NUE	SCCO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.91%	2.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.78%	52.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 15.60 and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 22.27 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

SCCO

Materials industry group

22.27

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
SCCO: 22.27
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Nucor (NUE) at 1.43 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 8.34 sits in the pricier quartile — SCCO costs more per dollar of 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

SCCO

Materials industry group

8.34

Max: 9.62
SCCO: 8.34
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Nucor (NUE) at 2.43 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 10.89 prices above its benchmark range — SCCO looks rich relative to book.

NUE

Materials industry group

2.43

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

SCCO

Materials industry group

10.89

SCCO: 10.89
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Nucor (NUE) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	NUE	SCCO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	15.60	22.27
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.43	8.34
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.43	10.89
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.77%	3.91%