Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Berenberg Bank set a $283.00 target price on Vulcan Materials and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $355.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $330.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $328.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.2%

VMC stock opened at $275.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $286.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $285.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $252.35 and a 52 week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.42 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total value of $570,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 6,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,914,731.60. This represents a 22.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the second quarter worth $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 71.7% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 103 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.