Brokerages Set Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Target Price at $325.00

Shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $325.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $244.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $273.99 and its 200 day moving average is $280.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $31.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $241.77 and a one year high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.13. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. The business had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.56%.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total value of $570,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,914,731.60. The trade was a 22.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total value of $3,866,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 58,209 shares in the company, valued at $16,075,579.53. The trade was a 19.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the second quarter worth $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 71.7% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) is a major U.S. producer and supplier of construction materials. The company’s primary business is aggregates, including crushed stone, sand and gravel, which are used in roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure projects.

Vulcan also produces and distributes asphalt and ready-mixed concrete, as well as calcium products used in construction, industrial and other applications. Its products are sold to public-sector customers, contractors, commercial developers and other businesses involved in construction and infrastructure development.

Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Vulcan Materials has expanded through organic growth and acquisitions to operate production facilities, distribution terminals and related assets across much of the United States.