Vulcan Materials’ (VMC) “Overweight” Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reiterated by equities researchers at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $325.00 price target on the construction company’s stock. Stephens’ target price points to a potential upside of 26.40% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC stock opened at $257.13 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $275.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $257.99. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $218.38 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The stock has a market cap of $33.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.86.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.34 by ($0.12). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was down 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VMC. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,353 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $11,104,000 after acquiring an additional 33,051 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 20.1% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 21,619 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,415,000 after acquiring an additional 3,615 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 185.0% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,661 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,425,000 after purchasing an additional 14,061 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.