APG Asset Management N.V. Decreases Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

APG Asset Management N.V. cut its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 28,902 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,011 shares during the quarter. APG Asset Management N.V.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $7,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $461,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $242.29 on Friday. 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. The firm has a market cap of $32.05 billion, a PE ratio of 35.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $244.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $259.62.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced 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. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target for the company. UBS Group cut Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.00.

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.