Vulcan Materials Company Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.52 (NYSE:VMC)

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of 0.52 per share by the construction company on Friday, June 5th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd.

Vulcan Materials has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 12 consecutive years. Vulcan Materials has a payout ratio of 20.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Vulcan Materials to earn $10.58 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.08 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 19.7%.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $259.43 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $279.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $291.56. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $252.35 and a 52 week high of $331.09. The company has a market capitalization of $33.66 billion, a PE ratio of 30.85, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.09. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $333.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.58.

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.