Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Receives $317.58 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $317.8333.

VMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 target price on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $342.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 4.2%

VMC opened at $311.71 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $311.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $291.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $288.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.23. The company has a market cap of $41.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.06.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.12. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 13.47%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.55, for a total transaction of $577,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $240,073.60. This trade represents a 70.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total transaction of $2,146,279.35. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,471 shares of company stock valued at $6,054,615. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $425,938,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the second quarter worth $308,908,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 12.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,040,914,000 after acquiring an additional 857,210 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 598.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 719,924 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $187,771,000 after acquiring an additional 616,850 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 48.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,511,427 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $464,945,000 after acquiring an additional 491,957 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.