Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Receives $303.08 Average PT from Analysts

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $303.08.

A number of research analysts have commented on VMC shares. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. 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 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $461,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $231.70 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $258.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $260.74. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The company 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 business posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 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.