Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 25,199 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 210,501 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 25,199 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.16% of Vulcan Materials worth $54,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 22.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,698 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,180,000 after buying an additional 2,354 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at about $463,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 173,625 shares of the construction company's stock worth $43,448,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 55.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 217,495 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,467,000 after buying an additional 77,843 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.58.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC traded up $2.32 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $235.62. The stock had a trading volume of 476,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 871,919. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company has a market capitalization of $31.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $253.19 and a 200-day moving average of $260.78.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.