Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $302.91.

VMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Stephens set a $315.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 1.0%

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $263.24 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $265.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $256.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.82. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.42.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 12.91%. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Unified Investment Management raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Unified Investment Management now owns 2,259 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 26.9% during the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,343 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 86.3% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 95 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 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.