Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens reduced their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Truist Financial upped 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.75.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC traded down $3.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $270.39. 984,352 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 837,159. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $247.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $252.24. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $206.02 and a 12-month high of $279.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.82.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,005,692 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,368,273,000 after acquiring an additional 755,991 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,130,537 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $533,551,000 after purchasing an additional 330,433 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $388,027,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,369,530 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $342,971,000 after purchasing an additional 91,318 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.