UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Has $3.04 Million Stock Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 17.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,801 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,716 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,036,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 149.4% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,416,000 after buying an additional 5,627 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 284.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $11,104,000 after acquiring an additional 33,051 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on VMC. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. 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 report on Monday, February 24th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Raymond James cut their target price 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. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 2.0 %

NYSE VMC opened at $232.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $30.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $253.92 and its 200 day moving average is $260.61.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS 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 return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

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.