Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised Vulcan Materials’ price target from $249 to $253 but maintained an “underweight” rating, implying 9.34% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Vulcan has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target of $310.21, with nine Buy, eight Hold and one Sell rating.
• Third-quarter EPS of $2.83 narrowly exceeded estimates, but revenue fell 4.7% year over year to $2.18 billion, below expectations, amid weaker aggregates shipments.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $249.00 to $253.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "underweight" rating on the construction company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective would indicate a potential downside of 9.34% from the company's previous close.

VMC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $349.00 to $326.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, September 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, B. Riley Financial restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Friday, October 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $310.21.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:VMC traded down $1.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $279.07. The company had a trading volume of 730,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,175,176. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $237.03 and a twelve month high of $331.09. 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 firm has a market cap of $36.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.05. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $255.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $280.54.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released 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 analysts' expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.84 EPS. The business's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total transaction of $570,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,914,731.60. The trade was a 22.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total transaction of $3,866,380.00. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the second quarter worth $2,868,444,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $688,580,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $451,119,000. Stockbridge Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $314,470,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter worth about $306,641,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Vulcan Materials

Here are the key news stories impacting Vulcan Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vulcan reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.83, narrowly exceeding consensus estimates. Management highlighted operational efficiencies, margin protection and a resilient aggregates-led business. Vulcan Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Freight-adjusted selling prices increased 5% on a mix-adjusted basis, helping offset a 3% year-over-year decline in aggregates shipments. Vulcan also maintained a full-year adjusted EBITDA target of approximately $2.4 billion and said it is targeting earnings growth again in 2027. Vulcan Reports Third-Quarter Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic bolt-on acquisitions in Tennessee and southern Ohio expand Vulcan’s footprint in growth markets. The company also returned $417 million to shareholders through $350 million of repurchases and $67 million of dividends.
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC raised its price target modestly to $257 while retaining a Sector Perform rating, signaling limited near-term conviction. RBC Price Target Update
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue was approximately $2.18 billion, below the roughly $2.24 billion analyst estimate and down about 4.7% year over year. Net income and EPS were also slightly below the prior-year period, reflecting weaker volumes.
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel issued a pessimistic forecast, while another recent analyst report assigned VMC a Sell rating. RBC’s $257 target is also below the stock’s recent trading level, increasing valuation concerns for a company trading at roughly 33 times earnings. Stifel Forecast

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.