Leavell Investment Management Inc. Sells 1,530 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,345 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,530 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $13,465,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at about $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 149.4% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,416,000 after purchasing an additional 5,627 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 284.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,104,000 after purchasing an additional 33,051 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on VMC. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Raymond James cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com raised Vulcan Materials from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, November 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $349.00 target price on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $301.18.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE VMC traded up $1.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $270.58. 927,825 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 647,540. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market cap of $35.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $267.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $261.55. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $225.36 and a one year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 29.02%.

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.