Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Has $40.54 Million Stock Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 157,584 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,847 shares during the quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $40,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake 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 last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James cut their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $232.90 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $253.92 and its 200 day moving average is $260.41. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week 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 company has a market cap of $30.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.00, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for 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 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.