Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Rating Increased to Overweight at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $285.00 price target on the construction company's stock, down from their prior price target of $290.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price indicates a potential upside of 21.51% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Raymond James cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $302.67.

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Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded down $4.17 on Wednesday, reaching $234.55. 2,063,049 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 822,809. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company's 50-day moving average is $256.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.60. The firm has a market cap of $30.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 149.4% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,416,000 after buying an additional 5,627 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,104,000 after buying an additional 33,051 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.