Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Grows Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 18.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 352 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $91,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 48 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 topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $232.90 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.00, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year 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. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $253.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $260.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its 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 the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors 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 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 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.