Brokerages Set Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Price Target at $273.00

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $273.00.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VMC shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Raymond James upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 330 shares in the company, valued at $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VMC. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $259.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 3.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.14, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $264.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.05. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $166.43 and a 52-week high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. Vulcan Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

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.