Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $274.75.

VMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded up $3.81 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $272.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 688,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 837,808. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $206.11 and a fifty-two week high of $279.47. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $248.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $252.40. The company has a market capitalization of $36.01 billion, a PE ratio of 43.01, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.34 by ($0.12). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The company's revenue was down 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,005,692 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,368,273,000 after buying an additional 755,991 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $1,332,431,000 after acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 18.4% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,130,537 shares of the construction company's stock worth $533,551,000 after purchasing an additional 330,433 shares during the period. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at $388,027,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,369,530 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $342,971,000 after purchasing an additional 91,318 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

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.