Royal Bank of Canada Increases Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Price Target to $286.00

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) had its target price raised by Royal Bank of Canada from $269.00 to $286.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the construction company's stock.

VMC has been the subject of several other reports. Citigroup decreased their price target 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 decreased 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $349.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

VMC stock traded down $5.92 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $252.68. 631,493 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 734,506. 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 firm has a market cap of $33.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $266.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $261.44. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $225.36 and a 1-year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at about $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 149.4% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,416,000 after acquiring an additional 5,627 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 284.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,104,000 after purchasing an additional 33,051 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

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.