Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Bought by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,086 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 1,568 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $6,710,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 38,928 shares of the construction company's stock worth $10,013,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $10,774,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $380,369,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 29,521 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,594,000 after buying an additional 6,284 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded up $2.89 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $240.16. The stock had a trading volume of 708,040 shares, compared to its average volume of 873,986. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $252.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.78. 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 one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The company has a market capitalization of $31.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.06, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

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Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 28.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VMC. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James cut their price target on 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, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $305.58.

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.