Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Now Covered by Stifel Nicolaus

Equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in a report released on Tuesday. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target on the construction company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 24.90% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on VMC. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC stock traded down $9.99 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $229.79. 88,229 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 755,753. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $225.36 and a 52-week high of $298.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $30.36 billion, a PE ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $263.85 and a 200 day moving average of $261.78.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 211.6% during the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 4,335 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after buying an additional 2,944 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,615,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $829,000. Armis Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $342,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 70,885 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,234,000 after purchasing an additional 8,866 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.