Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Coverage on Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in a research note published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $287.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock.

VMC has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price for the company. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE:VMC opened at $235.04 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.31, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $262.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $261.38. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $225.36 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 48 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.