Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $327.7857.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VMC shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total transaction of $646,545.48. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,547,599.64. This represents a 20.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.65% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Burkett Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the second quarter worth about $25,000. NBT Bank N A NY bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 71.7% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Godsey & Gibb Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $277.59 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $286.53 and its 200 day moving average is $290.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company has a market capitalization of $36.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $252.35 and a fifty-two week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 24.73%.

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.