Valley Forge Investment Consultants Inc. ADV Makes New $367,000 Investment in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Valley Forge Investment Consultants Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,427 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $367,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:VMC traded up $0.88 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $233.82. 1,488,582 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 873,434. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $253.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.80. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31.

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Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is 28.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VMC shares. Raymond James cut 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of 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 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.