Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stock Position Reduced by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 9.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,437 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 443 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in 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 valued at $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 32.0% in the third 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 acquiring an additional 178,634 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position 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 worth $103,434,000 after acquiring an additional 162,567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 9.6% in the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $392,815,000 after acquiring an additional 137,365 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of 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 decreased their target price on shares of 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 decreased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $304.55.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $239.31 on Tuesday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $261.78. The company has a market cap of $31.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $225.36 and a 1 year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.