Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Buy" from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $302.91.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VMC. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Argus raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Stephens set a $315.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 0.9%

VMC stock opened at $258.84 on Wednesday. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $34.19 billion, a PE ratio of 36.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.84. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $259.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $257.89.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 12.50%. Vulcan Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.

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