Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on VMC. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $293.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $330.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $325.00.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 0.8%

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $250.84 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $246.20 and a 12-month high of $331.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $276.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $281.61.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.13. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 13.05% and a net margin of 13.75%.The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.42 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 13th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.56%.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total value of $3,866,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 58,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,075,579.53. This represents a 19.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,914,731.60. This represents a 22.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 45.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,605 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,654,000 after buying an additional 1,747 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 37,181 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,969,000 after purchasing an additional 2,041 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 18.9% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 205,243 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $60,549,000 after purchasing an additional 10,168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 31,605 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,324,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.