Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lessened its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,215 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,558 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 0.07% of Vulcan Materials worth $22,177,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $237.69 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week 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. The stock has a market cap of $31.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $250.99 and a 200-day moving average of $260.48.

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Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company 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 is a positive change from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VMC. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $305.58.

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.

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