Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Acquired by Rather & Kittrell Inc.

Rather & Kittrell Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 558.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,931 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,030 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials comprises about 0.4% of Rather & Kittrell Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Rather & Kittrell Inc.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC traded down $8.70 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $233.23. 149,350 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 922,924. The stock has a market cap of $30.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.05, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $241.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. On average, research 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $273.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $293.64.

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.