Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Acquired by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 39.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,909 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,068 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $4,607,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $86,425,000 after purchasing an additional 186,641 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VMC. 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. Raymond James reduced their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup cut their price objective 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. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.58.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $240.16 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $251.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.06, a PEG 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.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.