Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is positive overall: Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from 14 analysts, with 8 buy ratings and 6 hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $329.62.
• Recent earnings came in ahead of expectations: The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.35 versus estimates of $1.10, and revenue of $1.76 billion versus expectations of $1.64 billion. Revenue rose 7.4% year over year.
• The company raised its dividend: Vulcan Materials increased its quarterly dividend to $0.52 from $0.49, which works out to an annualized payout of $2.08 and a yield of about 0.7%.

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $329.6154.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VMC shares. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $333.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $335.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Wednesday, March 4th.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $283.73 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $283.32 and a 200-day moving average of $292.70. The company has a market capitalization of $36.82 billion, a PE ratio of 33.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.09. 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 52-week low of $252.35 and a 52-week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 9.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $497,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 3.9% during 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 during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 6.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in 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 last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in 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 last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vulcan Materials

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.

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