Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $335.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $317.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, B. Riley Financial started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $345.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.85.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $295.32 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $38.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.37, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $290.77 and a 200-day moving average of $293.78. 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 52 week low of $231.76 and a 52 week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.56% and a net margin of 13.56%.Vulcan Materials’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total transaction of $345,329.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.