Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 90,157 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,352,507 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 90,157 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 12.38% of Vulcan Materials worth $4,206,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $11,573,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 344,477 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $88,610,000 after buying an additional 9,371 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 637.4% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 197,714 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $50,858,000 after buying an additional 170,901 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 12,516 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,219,000 after buying an additional 3,953 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,046 shares of the construction company's stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 2.0 %

VMC stock traded down $4.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $232.90. 1,009,763 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 870,974. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.00, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $253.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $260.41.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is a positive change 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 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.61%.

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.