Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank of Canada Analyst Says

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) had its target price lifted by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $269.00 to $286.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sector perform” rating on the construction company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price objective points to a potential upside of 7.34% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on VMC. Citigroup cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group initiated 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 on the stock. Raymond James lowered their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.82.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded down $6.31 on Wednesday, hitting $266.45. 98,575 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 707,247. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.86. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $225.36 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The company has a market capitalization of $35.19 billion, a PE ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $267.35 and its 200 day moving average is $261.43.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,206,355,000 after purchasing an additional 90,157 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,322,546,000 after buying an additional 65,163 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $916,807,000 after buying an additional 78,271 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $859,171,000 after acquiring an additional 36,833 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.