Short Interest in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Increases By 24.7%

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,085,382 shares, a growth of 24.7% from the March 15th total of 4,077,107 shares. Approximately 3.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,486,065 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total transaction of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Godsey & Gibb Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE VMC traded up $6.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $292.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 959,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,239,112. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $231.76 and a 52-week high of $331.09. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $288.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $293.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.56% and a net margin of 13.56%.Vulcan Materials’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.17 EPS. Research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 25.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. B. Riley Financial initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $345.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.08.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.