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

Shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $309.8333.

VMC has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $321.00 price target (up previously from $305.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 698 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.56, for a total value of $208,394.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $845,521.92. This represents a 19.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $497,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 27.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the construction company's stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 42.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,798 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,686,000 after buying an additional 4,678 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 24.3% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 921 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $642,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $295.53 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $311.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.27, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.92. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $296.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $274.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.35 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is 27.37%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.