Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Stock Has Average Price Target of $308.78 According to Analysts

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $310.72.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Stephens raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, September 12th. Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $308.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $333.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In related news, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total value of $3,866,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 58,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,075,579.53. The trade was a 19.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP David Clement sold 2,000 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 6,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,914,731.60. This trade represents a 22.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bfsg LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 13,491 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,300,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,756 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 1,967 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Finally, Farrow Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.3% in the third quarter. Farrow Financial Inc. now owns 8,697 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,128,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 4.7%

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $297.96 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $237.03 and a 52-week high of $331.09. The company has a market capitalization of $38.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $256.70 and a 200 day moving average of $280.20.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The construction company reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.02. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.77% and a return on equity of 13.03%. The business had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.84 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 9th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.62%.

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.