Trust Investment Advisors Sells 578 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Trust Investment Advisors lessened its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,086 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 578 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,566,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 19,618 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,046,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James reduced 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 lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Three 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $240.95 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $255.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.83 billion, a PE ratio of 35.18, 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.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

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.