Farringdon Capital Ltd. Invests $444,000 in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,727 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $444,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company's stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company's stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded up $4.95 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $245.52. The stock had a trading volume of 315,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 923,570. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $240.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $259.39. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The firm has a market cap of $32.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.84, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut shares of Vulcan Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $293.64.

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.