Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,574 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 584 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,691,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 valued at $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake 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 period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 32.0% during the third 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 during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 67.9% during the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 402,106 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $103,434,000 after purchasing an additional 162,567 shares during the period. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 9.6% during the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $392,815,000 after purchasing an additional 137,365 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on VMC shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup cut 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. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $221.47 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $261.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $261.33. 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 capitalization of $29.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $218.71 and a 52-week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 28.61%.

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.