Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on VMC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $321.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $326.29.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $263.61 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $302.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $296.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.42 billion, a PE ratio of 32.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.97. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $218.87 and a 12 month high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.17 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 23,362 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,664,000 after purchasing an additional 5,301 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 223,520 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $63,842,000 after purchasing an additional 4,847 shares during the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $2,177,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $617,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.