Nucor (NYSE: NUE) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 18. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
 Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Nucor's revenues will compress -9.8% and EPS will shrink -34.8%.

The average estimate for revenue is $4.60 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.30.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Nucor notched revenue of $4.55 billion. GAAP reported sales were 10% lower than the prior-year quarter's $5.07 billion.

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

EPS details
 Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.26. GAAP EPS of $0.26 for Q1 were 43% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.46 per share.

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

Recent performance
 For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 6.7%, 80 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 4.1%, 130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 1.9%, 100 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $18.79 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.58.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 2,078 members out of 2,162 rating the stock outperform, and 84 members rating it underperform. Among 496 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 485 give Nucor a green thumbs-up, and 11 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 $50.20.

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