Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Price Target Increased to $319.00 by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its price target lifted by Jefferies Financial Group from $298.00 to $319.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the construction company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on VMC. Wolfe Research lowered Vulcan Materials from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They set an equal weight rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $273.00.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $255.07 on Thursday. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $166.43 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $263.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.54, 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 current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.39.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth $336,000. SteelPeak Wealth LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Vicus Capital acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth $245,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 31.7% during the 1st quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 266,647 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $72,742,000 after buying an additional 64,220 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

About Vulcan Materials

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.