Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Receives $303.08 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $303.08.

Several brokerages have commented on VMC. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 239.8% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 739,003 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $190,094,000 after acquiring an additional 521,508 shares during the period. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $329,769,000 after acquiring an additional 450,000 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $231.70 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $258.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.42. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

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.