Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stock Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 344,477 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,371 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $88,610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth about $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup lowered 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE:VMC opened at $234.55 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. 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 market cap of $30.99 billion, a PE ratio of 34.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $256.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.42.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS 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 given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.