Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $326.2857.

VMC has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $321.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $317.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price (down from $335.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

VMC stock opened at $266.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $34.77 billion, a PE ratio of 32.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $218.87 and a 12-month high of $331.09. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $295.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $295.02.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.41). The firm had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The business’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.17 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 3,712 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Composition Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Composition Wealth LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.1% in the third quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 960 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% during the third quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 6,416 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,974,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% during the third quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,095 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $952,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.