Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on VMC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. 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, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $317.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $304.76 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $40.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.53, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $302.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $296.68. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $331.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total value of $196,175.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,443,780. This represents a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total value of $2,146,279.35. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 3,712 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Composition Wealth LLC boosted its stake 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 during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.1% during the third quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 960 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 6,416 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,974,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 723 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is 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.