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

Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $274.75.

Several research analysts have weighed in on VMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,005,692 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,368,273,000 after buying an additional 755,991 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,332,431,000 after acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,130,537 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $533,551,000 after purchasing an additional 330,433 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 1st quarter valued at about $388,027,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,369,530 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $342,971,000 after purchasing an additional 91,318 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $268.86 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $206.11 and a 12 month high of $279.47. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $248.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $252.25. The firm has a market cap of $35.51 billion, a PE ratio of 42.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.34 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.29 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.02%.

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.