Avalon Capital Management Takes $318,000 Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Avalon Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 1,238 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 240.4% in the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 160 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in 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. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:VMC opened at $251.45 on Tuesday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $265.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $261.69. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $225.36 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The company has a market capitalization of $33.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its 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 business 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 last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James cut their target price on 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. raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $304.55.

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.