Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Grows Stock Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,095 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,994 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $15,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 27,785 shares of the construction company's stock worth $7,173,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 24.9% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 6,605 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,316 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the construction company's stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $86,425,000 after buying an additional 186,641 shares during the period. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $940,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC traded down $4.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $234.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,063,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 823,835. 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 $30.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $256.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $260.34. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $302.67.

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.