American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 637.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 197,714 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 170,901 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.15% of Vulcan Materials worth $50,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 149.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,104,000 after purchasing an additional 33,051 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $302.67.

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Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC traded down $4.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $232.90. 1,009,763 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 870,974. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $253.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. 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 (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share 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 issued a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

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.