Ieq Capital LLC Grows Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Ieq Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,708 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 771 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,983,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the third 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. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 136.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 355,857 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $89,117,000 after acquiring an additional 205,260 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 32.0% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 67.9% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 402,106 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $103,434,000 after purchasing an additional 162,567 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $392,815,000 after buying an additional 137,365 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of VMC opened at $252.68 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $33.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.89, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $266.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.66. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $225.36 and a 12 month 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, beating 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 net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. Analysts predict 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 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 26.86%.

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.