Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) shares gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $250.00 to $285.00. The stock had previously closed at $259.55, but opened at $270.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Vulcan Materials shares last traded at $271.72, with a volume of 157,828 shares traded.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on VMC. StockNews.com cut Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.50.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 118.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 621.1% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 235,879 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $64,581,000 after buying an additional 203,166 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 16.1% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 491 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.0% during 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. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 150.1% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,006 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after acquiring an additional 2,404 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $246.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $251.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.88 billion, a PE ratio of 37.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.47 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 12.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 26.86%.

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.