Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Reaches New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $252.00 and last traded at $253.6720, with a volume of 3942 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $258.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $293.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $325.00.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 2.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company’s fifty day moving average is $280.79 and its 200-day moving average is $283.23. The stock has a market cap of $32.76 billion, a PE ratio of 29.87, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.05.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.42 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 13th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 24.56%.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other news, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total value of $3,866,380.00. Following the sale, the director owned 58,209 shares in the company, valued at $16,075,579.53. This represents a 19.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP David Clement sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total value of $570,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 6,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,914,731.60. This trade represents a 22.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 18,212 shares of company stock worth $5,083,125 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Burkett Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth $30,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the second quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.