Elwood Capital Partners LP Makes New $965,000 Investment in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Elwood Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,750 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $965,000. Vulcan Materials accounts for 0.9% of Elwood Capital Partners LP's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $134,694,000 after buying an additional 521,802 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company's stock worth $86,425,000 after acquiring an additional 186,641 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on VMC. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James lowered their price target 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.58.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC traded down $6.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $230.98. 2,850,857 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 891,264. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $30.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The business has a 50 day moving average of $250.05 and a 200-day moving average of $260.50.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. 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 dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

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.