Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) PT Raised to $319.00

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its price objective hoisted by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $298.00 to $319.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the construction company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 26.56% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.00.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $252.06 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $33.34 billion, a PE ratio of 36.11, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s fifty day moving average is $263.37 and its 200 day moving average is $232.95. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $166.43 and a 52 week high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VMC. Strs Ohio grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 74,103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,822,000 after purchasing an additional 4,412 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 50.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 32,713 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,384,000 after buying an additional 10,991 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 17,706.3% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 47,899 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,874,000 after buying an additional 47,630 shares during the last quarter. Smith Salley & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,185,000. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 205,506 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $46,652,000 after acquiring an additional 16,942 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vulcan Materials

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.