JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 40,454 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,597,343 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 40,454 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,697,035,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the fourth 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. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the 4th 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. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on VMC. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE VMC opened at $238.05 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $254.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $260.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.75, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. 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 (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.61%.

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.