Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC trimmed its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. 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 SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VMC. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 19,618 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,046,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several research reports. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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 $232.90 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization 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 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $253.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.80.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 28.61%.

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.