Premier Fund Managers Ltd Sells 50,000 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Premier Fund Managers Ltd lessened its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 20.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 200,000 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 50,000 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials comprises about 1.8% of Premier Fund Managers Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Premier Fund Managers Ltd owned about 0.15% of Vulcan Materials worth $51,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,332,431,000 after acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,698 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,180,000 after purchasing an additional 2,354 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $463,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.5% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 173,625 shares of the construction company's stock worth $43,448,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company's stock worth $916,807,000 after purchasing an additional 78,271 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target for the company. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.58.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded up $2.73 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $236.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 219,005 shares, compared to its average volume of 870,888. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $253.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $260.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.36, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 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.