Nucor Corp

Nucor makes steel — the raw material that goes into buildings, bridges, cars, and machinery. They operate steel mills that melt scrap metal and turn it into sheets, beams, and bars, then sell those products to construction companies, manufacturers, and metal fabricators across North America. They also own the supply chain upstream (scrap yards, iron production) and downstream (steel joists, rebar, metal buildings), giving them control from raw material to finished product.

Nucor is America's largest steel producer, manufacturing hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and structural steel products used in construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure [Yahoo Finance]. The company just reported record first-quarter shipments and raised its second-quarter outlook, driven by strong steel prices and robust customer demand [Simply Wall St]. With $50.5B market cap and operations spanning steel mills, fabricated products, and raw materials, Nucor is a direct play on U.S. industrial and construction activity [Yahoo Finance].

Nucor is financially solid with moderate leverage, but free cash flow turned negative in the most recent period.