Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Acquired by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 34,700 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $8,926,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at 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 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 buying 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 buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on VMC. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $295.75.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $240.84 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $242.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $259.41. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $31.86 billion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost 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 0.81%. 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.