Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Colonial Trust Advisors

Colonial Trust Advisors decreased its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 22.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 600 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 175 shares during the quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors’ holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $154,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,206,355,000 after buying an additional 90,157 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $859,171,000 after acquiring an additional 36,833 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $380,369,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,163,900 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $299,390,000 after purchasing an additional 96,724 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $235.63 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The company has a market cap of $31.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $245.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.68.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on VMC shares. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wolfe Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price 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 decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Four investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.00.

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.