Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Boosts Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 3.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 182,817 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,735 shares during the period. Vulcan Materials comprises 0.7% of Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. owned approximately 0.14% of Vulcan Materials worth $45,783,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 118.1% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,245 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 491 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 202,539 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $50,367,000 after acquiring an additional 5,979 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 150.1% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,006 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,093,000 after buying an additional 2,404 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 87.1% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 9,591 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,618,000 after buying an additional 4,466 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VMC shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $349.00 target price on the stock. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $280.46.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC traded down $3.40 on Friday, hitting $279.28. 669,613 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,057,878. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $256.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $254.12. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $209.39 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The firm has a market cap of $36.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.81.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.34 by ($0.12). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.2 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 29.02%.

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.