NUE vs. SHW: Nucor vs. Sherwin-Williams Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) 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 Sherwin-Williams (SHW) both fall under the Materials industry group, but NUE is classified in Metals & Mining while SHW is classified in Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Profile Item	NUE	SHW
Name	Nucor Corporation	The Sherwin-Williams Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Steel	Specialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization	55.58 billion USD	83.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NUE

SHW

GSPC

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW), 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 Sherwin-Williams (SHW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	NUE	SHW
Total Return (1Y)	74.82%	5.74%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	19.83%	13.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	18.79%	2.84%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NUE

SHW

GSPC

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW), 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 Sherwin-Williams (SHW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	NUE	SHW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	32.37%	29.59%
Beta (5Y)	1.82	1.02
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-47.79%	-42.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.37M	1.72M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

NUE and SHW 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 Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	NUE	SHW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	2.18	0.05
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	3.28	0.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 63.70% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Nucor (NUE) at 17.58%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

NUE

Materials industry group

17.58%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

63.70%

SHW: 63.70%
Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 9.26% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 10.74% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

NUE

Materials industry group

9.26%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

10.74%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
SHW: 10.74%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 16.73% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 17.56% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

NUE

Materials industry group

16.73%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

17.56%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
SHW: 17.56%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	NUE	SHW
ROE (TTM)	17.58%	63.70%
ROA (TTM)	8.82%	9.48%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.26%	10.74%
Operating Margin (TTM)	16.73%	17.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)	17.39%	48.60%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Nucor (NUE) at 5.73% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 2.06% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Nucor (NUE) at -11.11% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at -2.75% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	NUE	SHW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.73%	2.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-7.84%	2.10%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-11.11%	-2.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-36.08%	9.95%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Nucor (NUE) at 2.46 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 0.71 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for SHW.

NUE

Materials industry group

2.46

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

SHW

Materials industry group

0.71

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
SHW: 0.71
Min: 0.16

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Nucor (NUE) at 0.29 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 3.72 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

NUE

Materials industry group

0.29

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

SHW

Materials industry group

3.72

SHW: 3.72
Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	NUE	SHW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.46	0.71
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.29	3.72
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.52	3.04

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 0.91% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 0.91% 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%

SHW

Materials industry group

0.91%

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

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 17.78% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 29.35% 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%

SHW

Materials industry group

29.35%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
SHW: 29.35%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	NUE	SHW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.91%	0.91%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.78%	29.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Nucor (NUE) at 15.60 and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 31.66 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

SHW

Materials industry group

31.66

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
SHW: 31.66
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Nucor (NUE) at 1.43 and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 3.34 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

NUE

Materials industry group

1.43

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

SHW

Materials industry group

3.34

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
SHW: 3.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): 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 Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 20.78 prices above its benchmark range — SHW 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

SHW

Materials industry group

20.78

SHW: 20.78
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Nucor (NUE) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Nucor (NUE) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	NUE	SHW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	15.60	31.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.43	3.34
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.43	20.78
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.77%	2.98%