Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Price Target Raised to $310.00 at Stephens

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its target price boosted by Stephens from $300.00 to $310.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Stephens currently has an overweight rating on the construction company’s stock.

VMC has been the subject of several other research reports. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $277.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC traded up $0.03 on Friday, reaching $264.44. 809,401 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 699,108. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $265.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.10. The stock has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a PE ratio of 38.60, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $187.20 and a 52-week high of $276.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 26.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at $7,376,992.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741 over the last three months. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strs Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 74,103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,822,000 after acquiring an additional 4,412 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 50.6% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 32,713 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,384,000 after buying an additional 10,991 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 53.6% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 81,319 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,460,000 after buying an additional 28,369 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 17,706.3% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 47,899 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,874,000 after acquiring an additional 47,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smith Salley & Associates purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,185,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

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.