Legal & General Group Plc Sells 190,058 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 22.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 656,082 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 190,058 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.50% of Vulcan Materials worth $168,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on VMC. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $298.00.

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Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.9 %

VMC stock traded up $2.27 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $245.75. The stock had a trading volume of 238,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,128,040. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.88, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. 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 has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The company has a fifty day moving average of $243.83 and a 200 day moving average of $259.64.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 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 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.