Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Sells 494 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,066 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 494 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $999,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,776 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $457,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 298.8% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 71,582 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,413,000 after buying an additional 53,631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SlateStone Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 24,905 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,406,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on VMC. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday. 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $234.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.99 billion, a PE ratio of 34.24, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $256.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.27.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for 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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 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.