Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Now Covered by Analysts at B. Riley

B. Riley began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in a research note released on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also commented on VMC. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 target price on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Citigroup upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $342.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Vulcan Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.92.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 1.4%

VMC opened at $306.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.23. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $313.37. The company has a market cap of $40.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.35, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $293.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $289.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 13.47% and a net margin of 14.19%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total value of $2,146,279.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total transaction of $196,175.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 8,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,443,780. This represents a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 20,471 shares of company stock worth $6,054,615 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 187.9% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,946 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 1,270 shares during the period. LeConte Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $512,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 45.0% in the fourth quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. now owns 1,730 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 253,732 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $72,369,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $389,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.