Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Sets New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $212.30 and last traded at $225.11, with a volume of 1106 shares. The stock had previously closed at $230.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 2.8 %

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $244.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Hedge funds and other 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.