Empirical Asset Management LLC Acquires 1,185 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Empirical Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 98.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,387 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,130,537 shares of the construction company's stock worth $533,551,000 after purchasing an additional 330,433 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 136.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 355,857 shares of the construction company's stock worth $89,117,000 after buying an additional 205,260 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 736,146 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $184,353,000 after buying an additional 178,634 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.6% in the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $392,815,000 after buying an additional 137,365 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded up $1.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $270.28. 668,205 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 601,795. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $219.73 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The company has a market cap of $35.69 billion, a PE ratio of 42.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $272.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $258.96.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.34 by ($0.12). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Truist Financial lifted 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, Raymond James lowered 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $301.18.

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.