Stephens Issues Positive Forecast for Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stock Price

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its price target lifted by Stephens from $285.00 to $315.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the construction company’s stock. Stephens‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 9.05% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on VMC. Wall Street Zen cut Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 12th. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $249.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $311.28.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock traded up $7.60 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $288.85. The company had a trading volume of 496,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,175,684. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $237.03 and a one year high of $331.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $255.77 and a 200 day moving average of $280.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $37.07 billion, a PE ratio of 34.16, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.99.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The construction company reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.02. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 13.03% and a net margin of 13.77%. The company had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.84 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other news, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total value of $3,866,380.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 58,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,075,579.53. This represents a 19.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total transaction of $570,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 6,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,914,731.60. This trade represents a 22.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bfsg LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 13,491 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,300,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,756 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 6.9% during the third quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 1,967 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $234,000. Finally, Farrow Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.3% in the third quarter. Farrow Financial Inc. now owns 8,697 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,128,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a producer and distributor of construction materials used in infrastructure, commercial, residential and industrial projects. The company is the largest producer of construction aggregates in the United States, including crushed stone, sand and gravel.

In addition to aggregates, Vulcan Materials produces asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and cement. Its materials are used in roads, bridges, airports, commercial buildings, homes and other construction applications.