Short Interest in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Decreases By 13.4%

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,870,000 shares, a decline of 13.4% from the January 31st total of 2,160,000 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 740,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 5.8 %

NYSE VMC traded down $13.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $221.47. The stock had a trading volume of 3,778,923 shares, compared to its average volume of 887,214. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $218.71 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The stock has a market cap of $29.26 billion, a PE ratio of 32.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $261.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $261.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02.

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Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James dropped their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $303.08.

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.