Analysts Set Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Target Price at $326.92

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $326.5385.

Several research firms have commented on VMC. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $293.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $325.00 target price on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, April 30th.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total transaction of $646,545.48. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,716 shares in the company, valued at $2,547,599.64. The trade was a 20.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of institutional investors and 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 about $497,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,359 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,195 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $745,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,321 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $775,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 31.5% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 334 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 2.9%

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $303.45 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $286.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $290.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.59. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $252.35 and a one year high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 9.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.