Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI reduced its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,046 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 5,495 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.06% of Vulcan Materials worth $18,790,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,206,355,000 after acquiring an additional 90,157 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,559,380,000 after purchasing an additional 741,631 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,322,546,000 after buying an additional 65,163 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,311,585 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $826,644,000 after buying an additional 33,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $380,369,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE VMC traded down $6.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $230.98. 2,850,857 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 891,264. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $215.08 and a 52-week high of $298.31. The business's fifty day moving average price is $250.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $260.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.55 billion, a PE ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. Analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. 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. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.58.

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.