Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Has $1.02 Billion Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 21.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,948,775 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,095,408 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 2.99% of Vulcan Materials worth $1,015,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VMC. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th 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 last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Three equities 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.58.

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Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC traded down $6.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $230.98. The company had a trading volume of 2,850,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 889,522. 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 company has a market capitalization of $30.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company's 50-day moving average is $250.05 and its 200-day moving average is $260.40.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. 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. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.