Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Short Interest Update

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,770,000 shares, an increase of 27.3% from the October 31st total of 1,390,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 946,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, November 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.92.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 118.1% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,245 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 491 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 202,539 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,367,000 after acquiring an additional 5,979 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 62.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 30,226 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,247,000 after purchasing an additional 11,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 3.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,332,649 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $331,404,000 after purchasing an additional 43,294 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $287.33. 263,070 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 832,819. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $265.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $255.16. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $210.85 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a market cap of $37.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.45, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.81.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by ($0.12). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.02%.

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.