Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Purchased by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,046 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the 4th 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 during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $916,807,000 after purchasing an additional 78,271 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,311,585 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $826,644,000 after buying an additional 33,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 9.6% in the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $392,815,000 after buying an additional 137,365 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $234.55 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The business has a 50-day moving average of $256.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $260.60. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31.

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 return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James decreased their target price 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. Citigroup decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials 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.