Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Position Boosted by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 162,211 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,355 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.12% of Vulcan Materials worth $41,726,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 149.4% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,416,000 after acquiring an additional 5,627 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 284.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,104,000 after acquiring an additional 33,051 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.1 %

NYSE VMC traded down $5.05 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $234.48. The company had a trading volume of 296,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 911,290. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The company has a market capitalization of $31.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The firm's 50 day moving average is $245.75 and its 200 day moving average is $259.77.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group cut Vulcan Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $298.00.

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.