Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp Invests $30,000 in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 117 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VMC. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 69,610 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,906,000 after acquiring an additional 4,664 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 21,763 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,598,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,001 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,206,355,000 after purchasing an additional 90,157 shares during the period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $11,573,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $238.05 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $31.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $254.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.41.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have 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. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.67.

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.