Little House Capital LLC Buys New Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Little House Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 3,139 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $807,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 61.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 868 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,329 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 75,310 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $19,746,000 after acquiring an additional 11,129 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $207,000. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $322,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $270.58 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.68, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $225.36 and a one year high of $298.31. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $267.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $261.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.86.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on VMC shares. Barclays raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $301.18.

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.