Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 90,157 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 16,352,507 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 90,157 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Vulcan Materials worth $4,206,355,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $241.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.88 billion, a PE ratio of 35.23, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $256.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.67.

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.