Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Research Coverage Started at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $287.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $235.04 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The company has a market cap of $31.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.31, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $225.36 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $262.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $261.38.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,206,355,000 after acquiring an additional 90,157 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,322,546,000 after acquiring an additional 65,163 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $916,807,000 after acquiring an additional 78,271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $859,171,000 after acquiring an additional 36,833 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.