Optimize Financial Inc Invests $267,000 in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Optimize Financial Inc bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,039 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $267,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $242.29 on Friday. 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 has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $244.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $259.62. The firm has a market capitalization 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.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. 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 report on Monday, February 24th. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.00.

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.