Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Trims Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lowered its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,284 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,016 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $4,189,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 19,618 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,046,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised 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 report on Monday, February 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of VMC stock opened at $232.90 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $30.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $253.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Vulcan Materials 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.