O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Grows Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 39.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,909 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,068 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $4,607,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on VMC. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. UBS Group lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a report on Monday. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $298.00.

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Vulcan Materials Stock Down 0.9 %

VMC stock traded down $2.18 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $228.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,754,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 898,686. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $260.44. 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 company has a market capitalization of $30.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. 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 disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 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.