StockNews.com Downgrades Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) to Sell

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target 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. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Stephens lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.73.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $240.46 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.80 billion, a PE ratio of 35.10, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $247.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $254.47. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $190.51 and a twelve month high of $278.79.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.47 by ($0.12). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 12.07%. The business had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.6% during the first quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,579 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $704,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 61.8% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 123 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 2,250 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 425 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 26.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 267 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.