BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Trims Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lowered its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 36.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,076 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,373 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,048,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,206,355,000 after purchasing an additional 90,157 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company's stock worth $859,171,000 after buying an additional 36,833 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $380,369,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,163,900 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $299,390,000 after acquiring an additional 96,724 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $240.36 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $240.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.39. The company has a market cap of $31.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.09, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. 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 0.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VMC shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $273.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James cut their target price on 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 raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VMC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.