Vulcan Materials’ (VMC) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at DA Davidson

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by equities research analysts at DA Davidson in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $330.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock. DA Davidson’s target price indicates a potential upside of 36.54% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $293.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $325.00.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded down $2.71 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $241.69. 1,208,844 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,156,861. The company has a market cap of $31.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $269.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.59. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $240.69 and a fifty-two week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.42 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total transaction of $3,866,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 58,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,075,579.53. This trade represents a 19.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total transaction of $570,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,716 shares in the company, valued at $1,914,731.60. The trade was a 22.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 28.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 182 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 211 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 894 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Anchyra Partners LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC now owns 784 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) is a major U.S. producer and supplier of construction materials. The company’s primary business is aggregates, including crushed stone, sand and gravel, which are used in roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure projects.

Vulcan also produces and distributes asphalt and ready-mixed concrete, as well as calcium products used in construction, industrial and other applications. Its products are sold to public-sector customers, contractors, commercial developers and other businesses involved in construction and infrastructure development.

Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Vulcan Materials has expanded through organic growth and acquisitions to operate production facilities, distribution terminals and related assets across much of the United States.