California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 8,702 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 210,987 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 8,702 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.16% of Vulcan Materials worth $54,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VMC. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on 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. upgraded 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 report on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Three 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.58.

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Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC stock traded down $2.41 on Thursday, hitting $237.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,269,636 shares, compared to its average volume of 880,462. 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 12-month low of $212.94 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The stock has a market cap of $31.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $250.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.48.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

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

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.