Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Stock Has Average Target Price of $308.78

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $311.28.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $249.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 2.9%

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $289.45 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $237.03 and a 52-week high of $331.09. The company has a market cap of $37.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $256.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $280.30.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The construction company reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.02. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. The company had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 24.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In related news, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total transaction of $3,866,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 58,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,075,579.53. The trade was a 19.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP David Clement sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was 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 directly owned 6,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,914,731.60. This represents a 22.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Burkett Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 71.7% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the second quarter valued at $37,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the second quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the first quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a producer and distributor of construction materials used in infrastructure, commercial, residential and industrial projects. The company is the largest producer of construction aggregates in the United States, including crushed stone, sand and gravel.

In addition to aggregates, Vulcan Materials produces asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and cement. Its materials are used in roads, bridges, airports, commercial buildings, homes and other construction applications.