1,195 Shares in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Bought by Quantessence Capital LLC

Quantessence Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,195 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $307,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at about $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 149.4% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,416,000 after purchasing an additional 5,627 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,104,000 after buying an additional 33,051 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of VMC opened at $240.36 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $240.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.79 billion, a PE ratio of 35.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on VMC. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Wolfe Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $293.64.

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.

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