Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 178,580 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,159 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $45,936,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 149.4% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,416,000 after buying an additional 5,627 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $11,104,000 after buying an additional 33,051 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $231.70 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.82, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 $258.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $260.74. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. On average, analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 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.