Allianz SE Acquires New Shares in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Allianz SE bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,961 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $2,572,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.58.

Remove Ads

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 1.2 %

VMC traded up $2.89 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $240.16. 706,334 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 873,985. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $252.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.77 billion, a PE ratio of 35.06, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. 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 has a 52-week low of $215.08 and a 52-week high of $298.31.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.