Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $283.92.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VMC. Stephens reduced their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 118.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 16.1% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 491 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 202,539 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,367,000 after acquiring an additional 5,979 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 62.1% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 30,226 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,247,000 after purchasing an additional 11,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,332,649 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $331,404,000 after acquiring an additional 43,294 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

VMC opened at $288.16 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $265.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $255.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.05 billion, a PE ratio of 45.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.81. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $209.60 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.86.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.34 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.02%.

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.