1,724 Shares in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Bought by Polymer Capital Management US LLC

Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,724 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $443,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VMC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,332,431,000 after acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock worth $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company's stock worth $86,425,000 after purchasing an additional 186,641 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy 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 $298.00.

Remove Ads

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC traded up $6.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $242.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,636,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 920,888. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $244.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.62. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is 28.61%.

Vulcan Materials 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.