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

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $273.00.

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Wolfe Research lowered Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of VMC opened at $259.27 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $166.43 and a 1 year high of $276.58. The company has a current ratio of 3.17, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $264.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.05. The stock has a market cap of $34.29 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 in the last 90 days. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,579 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $704,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Commerce Bank lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 4,442 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,916 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,248 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $656,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.