Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Trims Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,401,037 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 28,341 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.06% of Vulcan Materials worth $360,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VMC shares. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE:VMC traded up $4.46 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $245.03. 765,222 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 925,905. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $240.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.39. The company has a market cap of $32.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase 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 currently 28.61%.

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.