Analysts Set Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Price Target at $327.79

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $327.7857.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VMC. UBS Group decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total transaction of $646,545.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,716 shares in the company, valued at $2,547,599.64. This trade represents a 20.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Burkett Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the second quarter worth $25,000. NBT Bank N A NY bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 71.7% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $280.20 on Thursday. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $252.35 and a one year high of $331.09. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $286.78 and its 200 day moving average is $290.59. The stock has a market cap of $36.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.59.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

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.