Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 33.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,759 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 15,109 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $15,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 2.8 %

NYSE:VMC traded up $6.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $242.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,636,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 920,888. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $259.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.37, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

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Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price objective on the stock. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $298.00.

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.