Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.11 EPS

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11), Briefing.com reports. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.0 %

Vulcan Materials stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $264.44. The company had a trading volume of 786,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 791,547. The firm has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $265.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.10. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $187.20 and a 1 year high of $276.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 3.17.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insider Activity

In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.08.

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.