Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Sells 1,916 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,918 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,916 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth about $42,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth about $1,040,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 240.4% during the third quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 160 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 11.2% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,589 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $221.47 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $261.37 and a 200-day moving average of $261.33. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $218.71 and a 1 year high of $298.31. 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 company has a market capitalization of $29.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.33, 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on VMC. Citigroup cut their price objective 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. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials 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.