Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Price Target Raised to $300.00

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its price objective upped by Morgan Stanley from $295.00 to $300.00 in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the construction company’s stock.

VMC has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Raymond James dropped their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $304.55.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $250.36 on Monday. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $225.36 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $264.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.65. The firm has a market cap of $33.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 28.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,206,355,000 after buying an additional 90,157 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,322,546,000 after acquiring an additional 65,163 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $916,807,000 after acquiring an additional 78,271 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $859,171,000 after purchasing an additional 36,833 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.