Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stake Cut by Compass Ion Advisors LLC

Compass Ion Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,770 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Compass Ion Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 19,618 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,046,000 after purchasing an additional 55 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 subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target for the company. Citigroup cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $236.36 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $31.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $257.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $260.63. 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 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.