Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Purchased by Groupama Asset Managment

Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,014 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth about $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 149.4% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,416,000 after acquiring an additional 5,627 shares during the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 284.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $11,104,000 after purchasing an additional 33,051 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on VMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.58.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of VMC stock opened at $237.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.38 billion, a PE ratio of 34.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $252.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $260.78.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect 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 was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was 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.