Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by DF Dent & Co. Inc.

DF Dent & Co. Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 964,390 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 20,171 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials comprises about 3.1% of DF Dent & Co. Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. DF Dent & Co. Inc. owned about 0.73% of Vulcan Materials worth $248,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,206,355,000 after buying an additional 90,157 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,559,380,000 after purchasing an additional 741,631 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,322,546,000 after purchasing an additional 65,163 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $859,171,000 after purchasing an additional 36,833 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $380,369,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded up $1.31 on Tuesday, hitting $229.84. 453,874 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 897,092. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm's 50-day moving average is $249.13 and its 200 day moving average is $260.44. The stock has a market cap of $30.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.56, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $215.08 and a 52-week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm 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 represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on VMC shares. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Vulcan Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a report on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.