Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stock Gets Price Target Cut from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its target price lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $320.00 to $300.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the construction company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on VMC. Wall Street Zen lowered Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, September 12th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $360.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $349.00 to $326.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $256.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $312.00.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $252.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.76. The company has a market capitalization of $32.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $237.03 and a 1 year high of $331.09. The company’s fifty day moving average is $258.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $276.50.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.13. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. The business had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 9.10 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David Clement sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total transaction of $570,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total transaction of $3,866,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 58,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,075,579.53. This trade represents a 19.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 13.6% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 2,023 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $498,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 177,872 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,513,000 after purchasing an additional 9,014 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,011 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $492,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Community Trust NA purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $73,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) is a major producer and supplier of construction materials in the United States. The company primarily produces and distributes construction aggregates, including crushed stone, sand and gravel, which are used in infrastructure, commercial, residential and industrial projects.

In addition to aggregates, Vulcan produces asphalt mix and ready-mixed concrete and provides related construction-material services. Its products support highways, bridges, airports, buildings and other essential infrastructure.