Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Acquires 1,147 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,822 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,147 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of VMC stock opened at $232.90 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $253.92 and a 200 day moving average of $260.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.00, a P/E/G 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost 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 dividend yield of 0.84%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target for the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.67.

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.