Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $323.6429.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. B. Riley Financial initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $345.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $310.10 on Monday. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $331.09. The firm has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a PE ratio of 38.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $304.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $297.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 24.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total transaction of $196,175.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,443,780. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total value of $2,146,279.35. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,937 shares of company stock worth $2,687,784. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VMC. National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 175,458 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,763,000 after buying an additional 1,455 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,345,703,000 after acquiring an additional 414,828 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 12.3% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,040,914,000 after buying an additional 857,210 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 104.3% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 72,113 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $22,183,000 after acquiring an additional 36,823 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 256,789 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $66,976,000 after buying an additional 41,504 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.