Nucor (NYSE: NUE) reported earnings on Jan. 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Nucor missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue shrank and GAAP earnings per share stayed the same.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
 Nucor reported revenue of $4.45 billion. The 15 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for a top line of $4.55 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 7.8% lower than the prior-year quarter's $4.83 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 EPS came in at $0.45. The 16 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.30 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.43 were the same as the prior-year quarter.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
 For the quarter, gross margin was 8.6%, 100 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.9%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.1%, 30 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $5.01 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.61.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $20.42 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.85.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 2,112 members out of 2,199 rating the stock outperform, and 87 members rating it underperform. Among 577 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 561 give Nucor a green thumbs-up, and 16 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Nucor is outperform, with an average price target of $45.49.

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