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

Investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in a note issued to investors on Tuesday. 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 24.90% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on VMC. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup dropped their price target 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 lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 4.2 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded down $9.99 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $229.79. The company had a trading volume of 88,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 755,753. The company’s 50-day moving average is $263.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.78. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $225.36 and a twelve month 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. The company has a market cap of $30.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 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.