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

Stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target on the construction company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective points to a potential upside of 19.34% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 2.4 %

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $240.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.77 billion, a PE ratio of 35.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50-day moving average is $262.78 and its 200-day moving average is $261.57. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $225.36 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 business earned $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vulcan Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $216,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 53,087 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $13,295,000 after acquiring an additional 1,373 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 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.