Bank of Montreal Can Cuts Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Bank of Montreal Can lowered its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 163,169 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 10,456 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $41,972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VMC. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE VMC opened at $235.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.40, 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 current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $245.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.68.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for 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 quarter last year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group cut Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.00.

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.