Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $313.1667.

VMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $321.00 price objective (up previously from $305.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:VMC opened at $292.63 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $311.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.67. The firm has a market cap of $38.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $296.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $275.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.65 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 12.52%.The company’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.35 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 27.37%.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 698 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.56, for a total transaction of $208,394.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $845,521.92. This represents a 19.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $497,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 27.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 42.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,798 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 4,678 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 24.3% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 921 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $642,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.