Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $258.01 and traded as high as $260.28. Vulcan Materials shares last traded at $257.23, with a volume of 389,209 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VMC. StockNews.com upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barclays boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.33.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $275.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $258.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $33.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.57, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.81.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by ($0.12). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 29.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SouthState Corp increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 669.2% in the second quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 100 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth $30,000. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth $35,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 240.4% in the third quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 160 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors 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.