Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. Sells 200 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,019 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,694,000 after buying an additional 521,802 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $86,425,000 after acquiring an additional 186,641 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VMC shares. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup reduced their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:VMC opened at $233.82 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a fifty day moving average of $253.19 and a 200-day moving average of $260.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 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.