Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Bought by Parallel Advisors LLC

Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,776 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $234.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $30.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $256.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.27. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $215.08 and a 52-week high of $298.31. 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 (NYSE:VMC) last posted 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors 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 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 yield of 0.84%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on VMC. Raymond James decreased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

About Vulcan Materials

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.