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

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

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.0 %

Vulcan Materials stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $264.44. The stock had a trading volume of 809,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 699,108. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $265.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $236.10. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $187.20 and a one year high of $276.58. The stock has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.83. 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 26.86%.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 target price for the company. Stephens boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.