Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 181,739 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,909 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $45,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 18.4% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,130,537 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $533,551,000 after purchasing an additional 330,433 shares during the period. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $388,027,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.1% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,369,530 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $342,971,000 after purchasing an additional 91,318 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,332,649 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $331,404,000 after purchasing an additional 43,294 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.46.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $279.28 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $36.88 billion, a PE ratio of 44.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $256.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $254.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $209.39 and a 12 month high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. Research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.02%.

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.