Royal Bank of Canada Boosts Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Price Target to $272.00

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its price objective increased by Royal Bank of Canada from $269.00 to $272.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sector perform” rating on the construction company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 2.86% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Raymond James upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $277.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $264.44. The stock had a trading volume of 786,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 791,547. The company has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average of $265.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.10. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $187.20 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,249,701 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,461,835,000 after acquiring an additional 105,230 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 47.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,503,484 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $909,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,700 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,494,455 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,226,627,000 after buying an additional 83,601 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,042,842 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $614,715,000 after buying an additional 194,337 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,481,652 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $501,343,000 after buying an additional 54,450 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.