Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Has $1.02 Million Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,979 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 206 shares during the quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $86,425,000 after purchasing an additional 186,641 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $240.16 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $251.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.64. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year 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. The company has a market capitalization of $31.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The company 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VMC. Raymond James lowered their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $305.58.

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.