Versor Investments LP Buys New Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,045 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,332,431,000 after acquiring an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 736,146 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $184,353,000 after purchasing an additional 178,634 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 67.9% in the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 402,106 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $103,434,000 after buying an additional 162,567 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $392,815,000 after buying an additional 137,365 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reduced 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. 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 research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $304.55.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $239.31 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $31.62 billion, a PE ratio of 34.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $225.36 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $263.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $261.78.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend 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.