Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stake Decreased by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lessened its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,080 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 668 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $7,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised 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 valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 1.7 %

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $234.55 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. The firm has a market cap of $30.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $256.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $260.27.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on VMC. Citigroup dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.