Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Purchases 20,847 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,584 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,847 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. owned approximately 0.12% of Vulcan Materials worth $40,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. DnB Asset Management AS increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 26,086 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,568 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 38,928 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,013,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $10,774,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $380,369,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 352 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $232.90 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $253.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $260.41. The company 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. 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 (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on VMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.67.

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.