Banco Santander S.A. Invests $875,000 in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Banco Santander S.A. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,400 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $875,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,559,380,000 after buying an additional 741,631 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,322,546,000 after buying an additional 65,163 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company's stock worth $916,807,000 after buying an additional 78,271 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,311,585 shares of the construction company's stock worth $826,644,000 after acquiring an additional 33,061 shares during the period. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company's stock worth $392,815,000 after acquiring an additional 137,365 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 5.8 %

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $221.47 on Monday. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $218.71 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $261.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $261.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market cap of $29.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VMC. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $303.08.

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.

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