Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Releases Earnings Results

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The construction company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11), Briefing.com reports. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $264.44 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $187.20 and a 12 month high of $276.58. The company has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50 day moving average is $265.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.46. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on VMC. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Raymond James boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 target price (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.08.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. Insiders own 0.62% 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.