Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE decreased its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,805 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 840 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $10,754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,559,380,000 after purchasing an additional 741,631 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,322,546,000 after purchasing an additional 65,163 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $916,807,000 after acquiring an additional 78,271 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,311,585 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $826,644,000 after acquiring an additional 33,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.6% during the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $392,815,000 after acquiring an additional 137,365 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James reduced their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $304.55.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $239.31 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $225.36 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $263.85 and a 200 day moving average of $261.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business 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 year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.