Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Southeast Asset Advisors LLC

Southeast Asset Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 18.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,008 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,779 shares during the quarter. Southeast Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,060,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company's stock worth $86,425,000 after purchasing an additional 186,641 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $298.00.

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Vulcan Materials Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of VMC traded up $6.71 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $242.29. 1,636,343 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 920,888. 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 capitalization of $32.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The firm's fifty day moving average is $244.44 and its 200-day moving average is $259.62.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. 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.