Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE:MLM) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLMGet Free Report)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $490.51 and last traded at $492.2670, with a volume of 148401 shares. The stock had previously closed at $496.76.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MLM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Martin Marietta Materials from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $581.00 to $609.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Berenberg Bank set a $556.00 target price on shares of Martin Marietta Materials and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wolfe Research set a $648.00 price target on Martin Marietta Materials in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Stephens decreased their price objective on Martin Marietta Materials from $700.00 to $680.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Martin Marietta Materials from $664.00 to $639.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $667.53.

View Our Latest Research Report on Martin Marietta Materials

Martin Marietta Materials Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $539.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $575.01. The company has a market capitalization of $29.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE:MLMGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The construction company reported $5.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.24. Martin Marietta Materials had a net margin of 36.73% and a return on equity of 9.49%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.43 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. will post 18.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Martin Marietta Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This is a positive change from Martin Marietta Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Martin Marietta Materials’s payout ratio is currently 8.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Martin Marietta Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new stake in Martin Marietta Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,650,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Martin Marietta Materials by 51.8% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,448,928 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,524,853,000 after purchasing an additional 836,120 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Martin Marietta Materials by 18.6% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 49,559 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,581,000 after purchasing an additional 7,772 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Martin Marietta Materials by 28.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 264,117 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $155,480,000 after purchasing an additional 57,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Martin Marietta Materials by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 118,981 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $68,541,000 after purchasing an additional 7,361 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.04% of the company’s stock.

Martin Marietta Materials Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of construction aggregates and other building materials. The company produces crushed stone, sand and gravel used in infrastructure, commercial, residential and industrial construction projects.

Its products and services also include cement, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt and paving materials. Martin Marietta serves customers involved in roads, bridges, airports, buildings and other essential infrastructure, with operations concentrated across several regions of the United States.

The company was established in 1993 as an independent, publicly traded materials business formed from the construction materials operations of Martin Marietta Corporation.

Further Reading

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