Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 32.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,966 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 51,867 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.08% of Vulcan Materials worth $27,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised 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 holdings in Vulcan Materials by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,698 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,180,000 after acquiring an additional 2,354 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $463,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.5% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 173,625 shares of the construction company's stock worth $43,448,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $916,807,000 after purchasing an additional 78,271 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:VMC traded down $3.45 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $229.49. The company had a trading volume of 200,902 shares, compared to its average volume of 868,410. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $253.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.58, a PEG 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

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