Vulcan Materials Attracts Bullish Analyst Call Amid Institutional Momentum Shift

B. Riley Securities has launched a fresh bullish outlook on Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC), signaling confidence in the building materials company’s near-term trajectory. The new rating comes as Wall Street maintains an optimistic stance on the stock, with the average one-year valuation estimate reaching $327.97 per share as of mid-January 2026.

Upside Potential on the Horizon

The consensus price forecast implies an 8.70% gain from VMC’s latest closing price of $301.71, positioning the stock within striking distance of fresh highs. Analyst estimates span a wide range, from $203.33 on the conservative end to $388.50 for the bulls, reflecting divergent views on the company’s execution capability. Revenue projections paint a constructive picture, with annual sales forecast at $8,641 million—a 9.63% year-over-year increase. Non-GAAP earnings per share is projected at $12.68, suggesting improving operational efficiency.

Institutional Players Recalibrating Stakes

The institutional ownership structure for Vulcan Materials reveals mixed signals beneath the surface. Approximately 1,745 funds and institutions maintain positions in the company, though this represents a modest 1.19% decrease in participants during the latest quarter. The aggregate portfolio weighting across all funds dedicated to VMC stands at 0.28%, a notable 0.27% uptick from the previous period.

Interestingly, while average allocations rose, total shares under institutional management declined by 0.91% to 151,349 thousand shares—suggesting a shift rather than uniform conviction across the investor base.

Major Stakeholder Movements Reveal Strategic Thinking

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance remains the largest institutional holder with 9,555 thousand shares representing 7.23% ownership. The insurer held steady during the recent quarter with no position adjustments.

JPMorgan Chase controls 7,924 thousand shares (6.00% stake), marking a 1.25% increase in share count from prior quarter filings. However, the firm pared back its portfolio weighting significantly, cutting VMC’s allocation by 88.44%—suggesting a rebalancing rather than a loss of confidence.

Principal Financial Group boosted its position to 7,625 thousand shares (5.77% ownership), up 5.44% sequentially. Notably, the firm accelerated its portfolio commitment to VMC, raising allocation by 19.01%—a meaningful signal of increased confidence.

PMBMX MidCap Fund expanded holdings to 5,037 thousand shares (3.81% stake), representing a 12.47% quarter-over-quarter gain. The fund also increased its weight in VMC by 8.16%, demonstrating sustained interest in the materials sector.

VTSMX Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 4,254 thousand shares (3.22% ownership), with a measured 1.88% position increase paired with a 1.65% allocation boost, reflecting steady accumulation through index methodology.

Market Sentiment Leans Bullish

The put/call ratio for VMC stands at 0.64, a level that historically signals investor optimism and conviction in upside moves. Combined with the analyst upgrade from B. Riley Securities and selective accumulation from heavyweight institutional managers like Principal Financial, the near-term momentum appears constructive for vulcan change stories in the materials space.