Nicholas Company Inc. Sells 12,768 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Nicholas Company Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 276,067 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,768 shares during the period. Vulcan Materials makes up approximately 1.2% of Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Nicholas Company Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Vulcan Materials worth $71,013,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 7,143 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,789,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 78.9% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 2,170 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,113 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,722 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,433,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of VMC opened at $231.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $258.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $260.56. The firm has a market cap of $30.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase 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 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price for the company. Finally, Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.08.

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.