Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Vulcan Materials (VMC) from a “strong sell” to a “hold”, while the analyst consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with a $324.85 average target and mixed price‑target moves (Truist to $360, Barclays cut to $296).
• Vulcan missed its most recent quarter—EPS $1.70 versus $2.11 expected and revenue $1.91B versus $1.95B—reflecting a year‑over‑year EPS decline from $2.17, with analysts forecasting about 8.69 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Shares trade around $295 with a market cap of $38.5B and a PE of 36.4; insiders recently sold stock and roughly 90% of shares are held by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. B. Riley Financial started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $345.00 price target for the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $317.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $324.85.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $295.32 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $38.53 billion, a PE ratio of 36.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $290.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $293.81. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $231.76 and a 12-month high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The business's revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In related news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total transaction of $345,329.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,345,703,000 after buying an additional 414,828 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 104.3% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 72,113 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $22,183,000 after buying an additional 36,823 shares during the period. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,232,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.3% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,293,316 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $397,795,000 after buying an additional 3,931 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 67.8% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 14,320 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,405,000 after buying an additional 5,787 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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