Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Short Interest Up 27.3% in November

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,770,000 shares, an increase of 27.3% from the October 31st total of 1,390,000 shares. Approximately 1.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 946,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 62.1% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 30,226 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,247,000 after buying an additional 11,583 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the first quarter worth $282,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the first quarter worth $519,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 111.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,423 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,936,000 after purchasing an additional 7,603 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 118.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup dropped 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. UBS Group began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.92.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded down $1.08 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $287.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 559,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 834,190. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.86. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $265.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $255.16. The company has a market capitalization of $37.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.81. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $210.85 and a one year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.34 by ($0.12). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was down 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 29.02%.

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.