Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Sells 2,377 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. reduced its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,450 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,377 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $7,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $134,694,000 after buying an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 271.0% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 559,643 shares of the construction company's stock worth $143,957,000 after buying an additional 408,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,760,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on VMC. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 0.0 %

VMC traded down $0.01 on Tuesday, reaching $245.38. 1,199,717 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 929,495. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $215.08 and a 52-week high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The company has a market cap of $32.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.82, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $238.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $259.65.

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 for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 28.61%.

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.