Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $326.2857.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VMC shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $321.00 to $322.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $317.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total transaction of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lone Pine Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at about $425,938,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $383,613,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $273,861,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 12.3% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,040,914,000 after purchasing an additional 857,210 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 598.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 719,924 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $187,771,000 after purchasing an additional 616,850 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $256.82 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $299.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $295.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $218.87 and a 12-month high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.17 EPS. Analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 25.62%.

About Vulcan Materials

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.