FIL Ltd Acquires 12,004 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

FIL Ltd boosted its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 23.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,419 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,004 shares during the period. FIL Ltd's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $16,056,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,163,900 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $299,390,000 after buying an additional 96,724 shares during the period. Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $443,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,409 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,405,000 after buying an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 44,447 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,433,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.5% during the fourth 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 last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VMC. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated 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 on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded up $1.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $244.60. 788,235 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 922,795. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company's 50 day moving average is $243.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $259.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.35 billion, a PE ratio of 35.71, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. 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. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.