Headlands Technologies LLC Lowers Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Headlands Technologies LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 42.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,348 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 4,719 shares during the quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,633,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 worth $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock worth $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted 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 valued at $86,425,000 after buying an additional 186,641 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded down $6.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $230.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,850,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 889,522. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.55 billion, a PE ratio of 33.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $250.05 and a 200 day moving average of $260.40. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month 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.

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Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. 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, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Three research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $305.58.

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.