William Blair Investment Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

William Blair Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 52.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,235 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 77,276 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Vulcan Materials worth $18,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,559,380,000 after buying an additional 741,631 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,322,546,000 after acquiring an additional 65,163 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $916,807,000 after acquiring an additional 78,271 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,311,585 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $826,644,000 after purchasing an additional 33,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 9.6% during the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $392,815,000 after purchasing an additional 137,365 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on VMC shares. Stephens reissued 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. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Raymond James lowered their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 2.1 %

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $241.38 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $257.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.50. The company has a market capitalization of $31.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The company 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business 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 $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

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.