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

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) released 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. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE:VMC traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $264.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 786,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 791,547. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $187.20 and a 52-week 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. The business’s 50-day moving average is $265.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.10. The company has a market capitalization of $34.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.89, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.83.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Stephens boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. Corporate insiders own 0.62% 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.