Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $277.08.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 target price (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Friday, March 22nd.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $245.07 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.81. The company has a market cap of $32.41 billion, a PE ratio of 35.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $256.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $250.14. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $190.51 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 26.86%.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 8,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.95, for a total value of $2,347,370.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $354,835. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.50, for a total transaction of $254,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $676,970. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 8,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.95, for a total transaction of $2,347,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 1,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $354,835. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,210 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,520. 0.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 6,411 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,455,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 74,103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,822,000 after buying an additional 4,412 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 50.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 32,713 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,384,000 after buying an additional 10,991 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 229,757 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $52,157,000 after buying an additional 9,193 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 53.6% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 81,319 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,460,000 after buying an additional 28,369 shares in the last quarter. 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.