Swiss National Bank Has $95.97 Million Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Swiss National Bank decreased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 373,100 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 19,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $95,973,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,322,546,000 after buying an additional 65,163 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $916,807,000 after buying an additional 78,271 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,311,585 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $826,644,000 after buying an additional 33,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $392,815,000 after buying an additional 137,365 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $231.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The company has a market capitalization of $30.61 billion, a PE ratio of 33.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $258.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $260.42.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on VMC. Citigroup lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $303.08.

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.