Jefferies Financial Group Increases Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Price Target to $319.00

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its price target hoisted by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $298.00 to $319.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the construction company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 26.56% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on VMC. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:VMC opened at $252.06 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $263.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.95. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $166.43 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.34 billion, a PE ratio of 36.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 3.17.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, 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 sold a total of 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 over the last quarter. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VMC. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,180 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,319,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.4% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 4,685 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $861,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 32.2% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,451 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 19,808 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,639,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth approximately $470,000. Hedge funds and other 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.