Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Price Target Increased to $310.00 by Analysts at Stephens

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its target price boosted by Stephens from $300.00 to $310.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an equal weight rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $277.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC stock traded up $0.03 on Friday, reaching $264.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 809,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 699,108. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $187.20 and a 52 week high of $276.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 2.39. The company has a market capitalization of $34.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $265.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.10.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.11). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 35,095 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,090,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 13,220 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,671,000 after purchasing an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.0% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 211,962 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,821,000 after purchasing an additional 8,185 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 10.3% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 21,574 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,358,000 after purchasing an additional 2,015 shares during the period. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.6% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,248 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $656,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.