Trustmark National Bank Trust Department Purchases 120 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Trustmark National Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,848 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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 valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the 4th 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 during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $242.29 on Monday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $244.44 and a 200-day moving average of $259.69. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The company has a market cap of $32.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted 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 net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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 given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio 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.