** Construction supplies co Vulcan Materials VMC.N shares rise 3.2% to $253 in early trade
** Co's Q1 profit beat Wall Street estimates driven by price hikes on supplies such as sand, gravel and crushed stone
** VMC posted Q1 profit of $1/ share, above analysts' average estimates of 78 cents/share, according to data compiled by LSEG
** Co's total revenue rose 5.8% on year to $1.64 bln compared to analysts' average estimates of $1.65 bln
** 19 of 26 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 7 "hold"; their median PT is $293 - LSEG
** As of last close, stock had fallen 4.6% YTD compared with a 0.5% YTD decline in the S&P 500 Materials (Sector) index .SPLRCM
(Reporting by Apratim Sarkar)
((Apratim.Sarkar@thomsonreuters.com))