Legal & General Group Plc Has $168.76 Million Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Legal & General Group Plc cut its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 22.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 656,082 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 190,058 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $168,764,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, 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. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $239.43 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $31.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $245.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.77. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. On average, 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 declared 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. 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%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.