Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $293.64.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VMC shares. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $273.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,694,000 after buying an additional 521,802 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 239.8% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 739,003 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $190,094,000 after purchasing an additional 521,508 shares during the period. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $329,769,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $245.50 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $238.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.47 billion, a PE ratio of 35.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.61%.

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.